Journey Through Darkness
by Kelesnya
Summary: Captured by pirates and sailing the most dangerous sea in the world, she would need to rely on all her strength, courage, and faith to survive. Meanwhile, he would find things in his heart he never knew were there.LawxOC new content more to come!
1. Prologue

Prologue

On a tiny, gray island that seemed to be mostly rock, a man stood with his young daughter, looking out at the sea. The little girl of only six years sat on her father's shoulders, small arms clinging to his head. Her snow-colored hair whipped about in the wind, and her almost equally pale eyes were wide at the sight of the vast roaring expanse of water before them.

"Are there _really_ big adventures out there daddy? Like the ones in your stories?"

The man laughed.

"Yes. There are people and places and wonders and adventures so great you could not possibly imagine them."

"When can I go there? Tomorrow?"

He laughed again, kindly.

"Maybe not quite tomorrow. Someday, my little princess, I'll take you there myself. You'll see the wonders I've seen with your own eyes."

"Let's go today!" She pleaded.

"We'd better get on home. Your mother will be cross if we're late for dinner!"

The girl sighed.

/

/

The nine year old girl stood in the door way of a small stone house, fighting back tears as she gazed up at her father.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked, voice shaking.

His eyes were tired and sad. The girls mother had yelled and screamed, then pleaded and argued, but he had remained adamant. The girl had only watched with a great sadness in her eyes.

" I don't know, my love. It might be at most ten years."

Her lip quivered.

"You promise to come back? No matter what?"

He had already promised more than once, but she needed to hear it one more time.

" I promise. Nothing in the world could keep me away."

He embraced her for a minute, then backed away.

"Now chin up, princess. Let me see a smile."

She smiled bravely.

"That's my girl"

He smile at her, then turned and walked into the gathering dark. She stood in the doorway for a long time. Then she ran up the stairs, into the small loft over the kitchen, flung herself on her straw mattress and sobbed until she had no tears left.

/

/

The sky was a bright, clear blue, the winds warm. A teenage girl stood astride a small raft, a smile on her face and her eyes blazing. She was setting out, away from her island prison, into the great blue.

_I might die._ She thought, still smiling. _But I'm free. I'm free! Father! I'm going to have great adventures, and I'm going to find you!_

_ So thinking, she steered her tiny craft into the mighty ocean._


	2. The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins

.

"You…_almost_ had her?"

The man's voice was calm and even and as languid as a summer evening. He leaned leisurely against a wall, his eyes shadowed by a spotted fuzzy hat as he surveyed the two men standing before him. Beside him stood a large white-furred bear holding an equally large sword.

His subordinate wetted dry lips and said nervously "That's right captain, w-we just got our hands on her—but she's slippery as a fish, and she knows how to fight—she knocked down Kenta, and by the time I turned on her she'd sprinted away…"

His explanation trailed off; he and the man with the hat that said "PENGUIN" waited anxiously, praying that their captain wasn't going to be too vexed with them. Although he didn't appear to be annoyed, failing to carry out his wishes was a chancy business.

"…I see…" he mused. They held their breath. "Well, no matter. I actually prefer it this way." A small, dark smile accompanied these words.

The two men barely suppressed their sighs of relief.

In an instant, his manner became brisk, commanding. "Give the others new orders. You're to look for her only, don't approach her. When you spot her, contact me and keep her in sight. I want to catch her myself." The sinister smile that stretched across his mouth could chill the blood of brave men.

"Aye, captain!" They said in unison. The two departed, feeling lucky.

The man took his sword from the bear and said "Bepo, you wait at the ship. You're too noticeable." The bear hung his head in utter depression and walked away, shoulders drooping.

The man tucked his free hand into his jeans pocket, still leaning against the wall, and cast his mind back to when he had first seen the girl…

Unlike the other slaves, who had stumbled onto the auction house stage in varying states of blackest despair and terror, the girl had walked erect, head high, glaring at the assembled nobles as if she could scorch them with her eyes. Most pirates would have seen nothing but a useless girl; spunky, but nothing to be interested in, not for the price they were asking for her when the world was filled with pretty girls. However, the look on her face had showed him a fierce fighting spirit, and it had seemed engagingly familiar somehow. He remembered how an admiring smirk had curved his lips, almost against his will; he hadn't expected to see anything he liked during this distasteful spectacle of the archipelago's corruption. He'd found himself wanting to meet her in person to find out if she was really as gutsy as she looked, or if she was simply a very good (and undoubtedly plucky) actress. Following his impulse, he had bid on her, with no real intention of spending money—if he wanted to take her without paying, those auction house dogs were not going to stop him—but the auction had been rather spectacularly interrupted by a certain Monkey D. Luffy, and he had had to attend to more pressing matters…

But now…as much as he had expected her to be spirited, he honestly had not imagined that she would be this difficult to capture. She had escaped from him once, from his men twice, and often they had caught sight of her, only for her to somehow realize she was observed and disappear before they could reach her. Every time she evaded him he was made more certain that she was someone worth capturing; she was different, somehow, from other people.

That one time she had swam—trumping their theory that she might have a Devil Fruit ability. He rather thought that his men had hoped that she _had_ had an ability; it would at least give them an excusable reason as to why she was so good at escaping them. He couldn't take them to task for it though; after all, she had escaped from _him_ as well. She must have a history of running from enemies—which only made her more intriguing. She had secrets, and an elusive mystery about her, and it surprised even him how much he wanted to unravel them. He was practically _itching _to satisfy his curiosity about her—and if, in the end, it turned out that she was not so special, he could merely discard her at his convenience. After all was said and done, she was really nothing more than an amusement to kill time with while he waited for the opportune moment to leave this archipelago.

Still smiling, he pulled a small, palm sized glass figurine from his pocket. The auctioneer had said she was an artist; a painter and a glass sculptor. He had found this in her house while his men were taking her belongings to his ship. It was in the shape of a tiger, beautifully wrought; even in its absolute stillness it seemed to convey movement, the muscles she had imagined beneath its silky-seeming fur were perfectly portrayed, its head reared erect and proud. Most interestingly; blazing from its face was the very same expression that _she_ had worn at the auction.

Placing the figurine back in his pocket, he shrugged away from the wall and loped with confident strides deeper into grove 31, towards the lurid display of human foolishness that was Sabaody Park, where he suspected she was hiding. He had better find her soon. They were running out of time.

.

.

With an exhausted sigh, the girl sat, mopping her sweaty brow and pushing her white hair out of her eyes. Relaxing, she slumped against the trunk of the mangrove tree behind her. She was high, high above the ground, on an enormous branch of one of the Yarukiman mangroves. The bubble-bike she had stolen and used to get here lay on its side next to her. Far below her the Sabaody amusement park emitted excessively cheerful carnival-esque music, a strange backdrop to her grim situation. Surely those damned pirates wouldn't think to look _here_. Congratulating herself on a hiding place well found, she pulled an apple (also stolen) from the small black rucksack that hung from her shoulder and bit into it hungrily.

Once again, she was glad she had experience in running and hiding and, to a somewhat lesser extent, fighting. Not that she wanted it to come to that; though she _was _angry that her life had been turned upside-down recently, she knew that fighting had to be used only as a last resort. These men play for keeps: she could end up dead or worse. Although, truth be told, she had only chosen the indignity of hiding in a tree because she was out of money, out of options, and out of ideas. If she ran into those pirates a fourth time, she'd probably be out of luck too.

_I guess I'd better not run into them again, then,_ she thought. There was no room for error now, and she'd already stretched her luck by making a few big, stupid ones; like getting caught by slavers, for instance. The past seven days had been more stressful than anything she'd endured in the last seven _years. _

It had all started when she and a friend had been late getting home after work, and hadn't had anyone to escort them or pick them up. Looking back, she didn't know how she had let herself waltz into such a dangerous situation. It's so tragically unfair—one wrong decision can screw up your life faster than a sea monster can eat a sailor. She had fought the slavers that had surrounded them tooth and nail of course—had scratched more than one eye out—but the small dagger she'd had on her had not been enough, and there were just too many of them; she had bought enough time for her friend to escape, but having been cheated of one of their prey, the slavers had turned on her with more ferocity than she'd been able to repel. It had all happened so fast.

They had taken her to that _place,_ that auction house that stank of misery and suffering. She could never in her life remember feeling more revulsion with other human beings—just _thinking_ of those slavers made her blood boil. Furious, she had stiffly told them her name and age as she sat chained and collared in a stuffy little room. When they had asked of her talents, she told them all she could of her artistic and musical skills, hoping it would give her more of a chance of being bought by someone who wasn't only interested in her body. Speaking of her body, when one of her questioners, a leering, disgusting fellow, became a little too interested in "examining" her, she had grabbed the pencil from his clipboard and savagely stabbed it as hard as she could into his eye socket. That had gotten her beaten (they were careful her clothes covered the marks, of course) and sedated.

She vaguely remembered being shoved in line between a girl in a green dress and a maid's apron, and a beautiful young woman in a dancers outfit. The wait passed in a foggy blur, but by the time her number was called and the men came to drag her on stage, the drug had mostly worn off. She kept her head down and her eyes lowered meekly so they would not notice this fact as emotions battled inside her and her bruises throbbed. Her throat was dry, and she could feel fear threatening to wash over her, but it was pushed away by a quickly growing reckless anger. Since the anger kept the fear away, she embraced it. When she stepped into the bright lights of the stage, she made herself stand as straight as she could and raised her head.

"And here we have 17 year old human female Shiiiinjuuuu!" the auctioneer had called with ridiculous theatricality. She heard the audience clap and cheer, and raised her eyes to give them a look filled with as much defiance and loathing as she could muster. "Mr. Disco" continued with an embellished description of her traits and talents. When the he had mentioned her "slender body, no doubt pleasing to behold" she had turned and deliberately spat at his feet, sparing him one look of contempt before turning her cold gaze back to the nobles.

"She also has a lovely singing voice!" The man pressed on enthusiastically, although she could feel his burning anger. The bidders had started to hesitate, and to mutter. She smirked. Then a cool voice had called "950.000". There was even more muttering.

"N-nine fifty? A-any more?"

Shinju scanned the crowd, trying to spot the man who had made that bid, but there were too many faces.

The auctioneer suddenly seemed nervous, but attempted to cover it with a fawning smile. He gave the gavel in his hand three sharp raps on the podium before him. "Sold! To the infamous pirate captain Law for 950.000 beri!"

She was still searching the crowd when the slavers lead her away. Her eyes finally caught a glimpse of one man who seemed to stand out more than all the rest; amongst all the pompous, over-dressed nobles, he reclined in his seat with more distain than any of them could have managed, seeming utterly calm and at ease; he was flanked on either side by watchful members of his crew. He was looking right at her—and the smile that lit his dark face as their eyes met made her stomach clench with an icy fear unlike any she'd felt yet.

.

Shinju yawned and stretched her arms and legs, settling more comfortably against the tree as she swallowed the last bite of apple. Looking back, she couldn't help but realize how foolish she'd been at the auction. If, after being brought on stage, she had pretended to be meek and terrified like all the others, she would likely not have caught the pirate's attention, and instead would have been bought by some fat stupid noble looking for a plaything. Then she could have easily strangled him with her chains at the first opportunity, stolen the keys needed to unlock the explosive collar around her neck, and put the whole unpleasant experience behind her. If only she had controlled her temper. But it was always the same: she was perfectly capable of keeping a cool head, except when it was _most _necessary. Then, unfailingly, her pride would get the better of her. She had even risked angering the Tennryubito with her behavior, a foolishness that could have lead to a fate worse than death. Although she was a firm believer that crying over spilt milk was a waste of time, she had scolded herself more than once.

However, despite her mistakes, fate and fortune had decided to favor her and the other slaves that day, as the crazy, bazaar, and somehow strangely admirable Strawhat pirates had blasted into the auction, causing a commotion that had put the whole archipelago into an uproar, and enabled the slaves to escape. She had to admit, she was impressed with the Strawhat captain. She was glad there were people in the world willing and able to give those Tennryubito bastards some of the punishment they deserved. Hopefully the Strawhats had not paid too dear a price.

Her troubles, of course, had been far from over, despite her regained freedom. After the Navy had stopped rampaging through the islands, chasing after pirates (and blowing up entire mangrove trees, causing more distress to civilians than criminals) and with the image of that mans smiling face and the fear it had inspired still firmly in her mind, she had gone immediately to see her friend, whose parents owned the small shop where she sold her artwork.

Arianna was a good friend, and someone Shinju cared about deeply; when she had first come to Sabaody, a setting that was so different from her former home that it might as well have been another world, it was Arianna who had taken her hand, Arianna who had helped her learn to live in this strange new place, who had kept her from becoming completely overwhelmed and lost. She was the first friend Shinju had ever had, and no matter what might happen, Shinju couldn't let any of the danger that had entered her life touch Arianna or her family. She owed them that. The only thing that Shinju felt she had been able to do right in this mess was enable Arianna to escape the slavers.

Arianna had burst into tears the moment she saw Shinju standing in the doorway, and her blonde hair fanned out behind her as she ran to embrace the calm girl. Granted, it took very little to make Arianna cry; she was a sweet, kind, very emotional girl who couldn't so much as swat a fly, and gods forbid she should ever set eyes on a dead kitten; she would sob for ages. She was nearly a polar opposite of Shinju, or at least it seemed so to people who did not know them well. Shinju knew that there was a backbone and a good Heart hidden behind all those tears.

"Ohmygod ohmygod Shinju you're alright! I was so worried itsallmyfault you got caught because you were protecting me ohmygod I'm so glad-"

"Arianna…Arianna! ARIANNA!" She finally got the girls attention. Arianna managed to stop crying and sniffled.

"Look, I escaped from the auction but I think I'm still in trouble. Do you know of any pirates named Law?"

Arianna stared at her with a mixture of confusion and fear. "You mean Trafalgar Law? He's a Supernova! Hang on a sec!" she dashed behind the counter and rummaged through a bin of old newspapers. Shinju recalled with a feeling of dread that the term "Supernova" referred to any rookie pirate who had a bounty of over one hundred million beri. Sabaody had become crowded with these dangerous criminals recently, as they all made preparations to enter the New World. Apparently the dangerous journey, which few survived, was something akin to a rite of passage for up-and-coming pirate crews.

Finally finding the paper she wanted, Arianna spread it out and pointed to a wanted poster emblazoned on a page. She recognized the cold, mocking smile of the man on the poster in an instant. "Trafalgar Law, "Surgeon of Death", worth 200 million beri…" Shinju read. "Why's he called surgeon of death?" she asked, unsure whether she wanted to hear the answer.

Arianna leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "it's because he's a doctor; people say he's a cold-blooded psychopath who chops people up when they're alive and does horrible experiments on them. He's well known for being merciless."

"Oh, that's just _great._" Shinju said, clenching her hands into fists, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just great. Glad I know. Now I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks._ If_ I live that long."

Arianna looked bewildered. "Why? I mean, I know he's been sighted on these islands…but what's he got to do with anything?"

"He's the one who bid on me."

Arianna gasped, horrified, hands covering her mouth. "W-what are you going to do?" she squeaked "you don't think he'll come after you, do you?"

Shinju sighed. "It's possible. I've got a bad feeling "…again that sinister smiling face loomed in her mind's eye. There had been something almost possessive in that look, as if for some unfathomable reason he wanted something with her, and would continue to do so no matter which way the wind blew. Well, she'd have something to say about _that_.

"I can't stay in contact with you or anyone else. Listen to me very carefully" she took Arianna's hands in her own and looked her in the eye very seriously. "You have to tell your family what's happened. I told the auction people that I'm an artist, If Law traces me to this shop, and you guys will have to tell him I've left. Tell them _anything_ they ask you, got it? Don't get in their way."

"But where will you go?" Arianna's eyes were filling with tears again. Shinju smiled.

"I'm not telling. Then you can honestly tell them you don't know!"

"Oh. Right." She sniffed.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've only got a crazy psychopath after me."

"…well….well—" Arianna cast around for any ray of sunshine, no matter how small. Suddenly her face brightened a tiny bit. "Well…at least he's handsome!"

Shinju didn't know whether she wanted to laugh hysterically or burst into tears. She managed a weak chuckle. She loved Arianna, she really did.

"Say goodbye for me. If things go badly"—she inhaled shakily—"I might not see you again." Noticing that her friend was about to start crying uncontrollably, Shinju gave her a quick hug and hightailed it out of there. She had always hated goodbyes.

.

Shinju lay back with her rucksack as a pillow. She was waiting for dark. But when you're hunted, waiting is not easy. Thoughts, emotions, memories of the past few days swirled through her head however hard she tried to quiet them.

She had left her friend and returned to her house, thinking she had at least a few hours to rest and prepare before she went into hiding. That was her greatest mistake. If she had left immediately, perhaps things would have turned out differently…

She had packed a few things and all her savings, planning to rent a cheap room somewhere and lay low. She stepped out of her house and had just closed the door when she froze at the sound of a cool, light voice, almost as quiet as the footsteps of the man it belonged to.

"Good afternoon, Miss Shinju. I wondered if I might have a word."

He halted his soundless advancement when he was about four yards away from her. He was young; not likely very many years past twenty in age, and slenderly built, with thin, alert features and black hair. A foolish person might assume that such a lean young man may be lacking in strength, but Shinju knew better. What he lacked in bulk he undoubtedly made up for in speed and agility, and he stood with perfect and assured balance. No ordinary man could wield a sword like the one he was carrying; there was unyielding strength in every inch of him.

The first emotion Shinju felt was fear for Arianna; the fact that he knew how to find her house indicated that he or his men had found the place where she worked first. Then, as the position she was in pressed its full weight into her consciousness, she was suddenly afraid for herself. She had never been so close to someone so dangerous and could feel the threat of his mere presence, even though he was doing nothing but standing there as relaxed as can be with a small smile on his face and his sheathed sword resting against his shoulder. His eyes never left her.

Swallowing her fear, she demanded "what do you want?"

"To talk to you." He said, still smiling. 'Why don't you come to my ship? We can talk more comfortably there." His voice was like drifting smoke, and he was walking closer now, with a cat's effortless, contemptuous grace.

She clenched her trembling fists. Hating the fear she felt threatening to weaken her, she retorted, "Actually, I'd rather not. I like to make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates. And as you can see, I'm no longer a slave, so you have no reason to bother me. Goodbye."

She turned to open her door, knowing it would do no good. Her house may as well be made of paper, for all the protection it would give her. She froze when he rested a hand on the doorframe, blocking her. Reluctantly she turned to face him. There was no telling what he was thinking behind those dark eyes, but the laughter in them made her furious despite her fear.

"Whatever you think I am, you're mistaken." She insisted, doing an admirable job of keeping her voice from betraying any emotion. "I'm not what you're looking for; I'm just an ordinary artist."

"No," he said, his smile deepening, "I would hardly say that I'm looking for something ordinary. And I'm more convinced by the second that I wouldn't find it."

Inwardly, she scolded herself. Her natural defiance and control of her fear intrigued him; she should be pretending to be dull-witted and terrified.

"Then what do you want with me?"

"I want to talk to you on my ship." He repeated.

"You can talk to me just fine right here!" she flared at him, them immediately bit her lip_; there you go, being defiant again_, she thought angrily. _Be stupid, be afraid!_

"I'm aware of that—"he was still smiling, but there was now a dangerous glint in his eyes and an edge of impatience in his voice, "—but I _want _to talk to you on my ship, and trust me,"—he leaned over her—"it's what _I_ want that matters here."

_His eyes are the color of storm clouds._ Her mind observed of its own accord, for a moment frozen beyond reasonable thought. She could imagine that just one flash of lightning in those stormcloud eyes was enough to frighten brave men into submission. A steely resolve flared in her Heart, pushing back the fear that was starting to contain electric charges of panic. He wasn't going to get _her_ that easily!

"You _will_ come with me" he continued. He leaned a bit closer; they were almost nose to nose now. She had a feeling that he was quite enjoying this. "Conscious or not, Miss Shinju. It's your choice." His smile was deadly, and his eyes were mocking her.

Using all her control, she gripped her emotions and forced them back; a deep calm filled her. Her posture relaxed, the defiance faded from her eyes. She looked at him, completely placid.

"Alright. As you wish, Mr. Pirate."

He drew back a little. She could feel his slight surprise, and saw it flicker in his eyes for a moment. Quick as a flash, she shoved him with both hands, trying to ignore the feeling of his weight against her palms, and pushed the door open with her hip. She had discretely turned the handle before he had approached her. She was inside before he regained his balance. Sprinting, she vaulted over the couch and kicked open the window behind it in one motion, landing on the grass outside. Unfortunately, Law had placed a guard at the back of her house. She had no time to dwell on the fact that she was confronted by a bear wearing an orange jumpsuit. Jumping up, she landed on a bubble, then sprang to the next one—looking back, she saw the bear follow—pulling something from her belt, she threw it at the bubble the bear was standing on. It burst, and with a startled yell, he fell. Wasting no time, she landed and sprinted away as if the Devil himself was chasing her. There was only one thought fixed in her mind: she never, _ever_ wanted to be near that man again.

.

"What happened, Bepo?" Law had asked as he came round the corner. The bear was sitting on the ground. He hung his head in shame.

"She burst my bubble" he mumbled sadly.

Law had sighed and gritted his teeth. He wasn't really surprised; she had moved with the feral agility of a wild thing. She _definitely_ had lots to tell him, once they had the chance to get more acquainted with each other. The trouble was, now that she was on the run, catching her might be a problem.

"Things might get frustrating." He said softly.

.

Shinju wondered if running away from him had been the right thing to do. She had read that some predators wouldn't chase their prey until they fled from them. But still, what else could she have done? Going with him willingly might mean as much as giving up her life without a fight, and that she would never do. In any case, the chase had begun. There was no way to unwind the strings of fate that were closing in all around; the only way out was to move forward and hope for the best.

The second time she had escaped from them had been the easiest. When the talking bear and a man in a penguin hat had tried to corner her on a bridge, she had given them a little demonstration of how well she could swim. By the time she had surfaced, hidden by a mangrove root, she had left them behind.

She rolled over, trying to get comfortable.

The third time had been too close. She had bitten the one that grabbed her, (a man with ginger hair and a teal and pink hat. What was it with this crew and weird hats?), vaulted off a wall and kicked the other man…but it had been mostly luck. They hadn't known she could fight. She couldn't afford to keep relying on luck. And now she had more reason than ever to avoid capture; the goons who had failed to catch a mere girl were probably feeling a little resentful towards her right now, especially if their shipmates had made fun of them for it. Thinking about what it would be like to be a prisoner on a ship full of criminals who felt distinctly hostile towards her was something she had to put great effort into _not _doing. Turning into a nervous wreck would definitely not help her out of this mess.

Sitting up, she looked at the island around her. Dusk was falling. The bubbles were catching the last rays of the sunset, shinning pink, red and gold. _It's so beautiful here. _She thought sadly. _But there's so much ugliness hidden beneath it._ _I suppose people are like that too. Beauty that hides ugliness, ugliness that hides beauty…_ She crossed her legs, straightened her back and rested her hands on her knees, breathing deeply. Soon. Soon the government would execute that Whitebeard pirate, Ace, and all the Supernova's lurking around the archipelago would bugger off to the New World and leave everyone in peace. Hopefully. She was getting tired of running. Tomorrow she would use her last resort; seeking shelter at the navy outpost. The thought of the long walk there was not an inviting one. She couldn't use the bubble-bike, it would now be registered as stolen, and it was not a good idea to ask the help of law enforcers when you were guilty of a crime. Besides, the pirates themselves might be keeping their eyes on all air traffic.

The cover of darkness had fallen. She stopped her attempt at meditation, checked that all her knives were securely hidden on her person, and hopped on her bubble-bike, heading for the bright, gaudy lights of the Sabaody amusement park. Although the place was crawling with kidnappers, it was also packed with civilians, so it would be easy to blend in. It was an excellent place to steal food; there were also public restrooms and drinking fountains, both of which she needed.

"Easy girl" she told her racing heart. "We'll just take this one day at a time."

.

.

.

Taking a deep breath, she kept her head down and began to cross the bridge, sheltered by the crowd of passers-by. She had "borrowed" a headscarf and one of the round hats that residents of Sabaody often wore. Even pinned up as it was, her long white hair was just too ostentatious when it wasn't covered.

Just one more grove…one more bridge to cross and she'd be at the Navy outpost. Surely the pirates wouldn't dare to kidnap her right in front of the Marines. She knew crossing bridges was risky; they were an excellent place to lay in wait for someone…but she had come all the way from the lawless zone, and hadn't felt a trace of the pirates. She had encountered at least some of them enough times to recognize their presence before she saw them. She ought to feel relieved that they were nowhere around, but somehow it made her feel even more apprehensive. Had they given up? Was her hat disguise really that good? Neither one seemed too likely…

She reached the other side of the bridge and her heart leapt with excitement. She was almost there! It felt so much better to be out of the lawless lands, surrounded by respectable, ordinary, non-threatening people. She straightened her shoulders and headed for the next bridge, smiling happily to herself. Then she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Hello again, miss Shinju." Trafalgar Law said pleasantly.

Where had he come from? The people around them gasped at seeing a Supernova in their midst, and began to back away in fear. Shinju stood rooted to the spot.

"Why don't we end this game of hide and seek?" he asked calmly. "You've tired yourself out. Do as I say and nothing unpleasant will have to happen to you." He spoke as affably as if they were old friends chatting over coffee, completely confident in his power over the situation. She wouldn't escape him again.

Somehow, now that she seemed to have no hope, all her fear was gone; it had been replaced by courage and an unwavering resolve. With cool detachment, her mind ran over a list of options, each one presenting a different scenario of how this could turn out. Admittedly, the odds were stacked grievously against her.

Slowly she reached into her rucksack. "Given a choice between obeying you and fighting for my freedom, I know which I prefer." Her voice was hard, her eyes flashed. She didn't remove her fixed gaze from his face as she noted that the bridge she had crossed, and the water it spanned, was some ways behind her and to the right. It was her best bet at escape. Bit by bit, she edged closer to it, trying to keep her movements casual. Two of his subordinates arrived to watch nearby; she didn't need to look at them to feel their anticipation.

Still moving cautiously to her right, she pulled gloves made of leather straps onto her hands, hoping to fool him into thinking that she was going to attack; affixed to each finger was a curved, three-inch blade. He eyed them with interest: they didn't appear to be metal, but some kind of carved bone.

Tearing off her headscarf and hat and dropping her rucksack, she widened her stance, clawed hands held before her as she bared her teeth in defiance. He looked her up and down with one sardonic, approving glance, his lips curling into a teasing smirk.

"I like your attitude, my dear." His light voice and deliberate look made the endearment as suggestive and mocking as possible. "I'm sure you'll be worth the effort it's taken to capture you."

She didn't miss the ominous implications of that statement. This was a cat that played with its food.

"Aaron." The pirate captain said the name lazily and flicked his hand; the man with the round teal hat and ginger hair strolled over nonchalantly to stand by his captain.

Shinju narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was up to. With a sudden movement, she lurched her body towards him as if she was going to spring—then just as swiftly, she changed course and made a dash for the water. Everything was going well…until something very strange happened.

_Room._

The air around her turned blue.

_Shambles._

There was a barely perceptible _shwshh _sound, and quite abruptly she was standing right next to Trafalgar Law. His ginger-haired crewman was standing where she had been.

She reacted quickly, her senses adjusting to her new situation without need for thought, but she wasn't fast enough. With brutal force, he drove a fist into her abdomen, just below the ribs.

Specks of light flared and danced before her eyes._ A Devil's fruit user _she thought with disgust. "Cheater!" she managed to gasp, before sinking to the ground. The last thing she heard as the world went dark was his amused chuckle.

.

Law looked down for a few moments at the unconscious girl at his feet. She _was_ very pretty, a worth-while prize. He waved his hand in a small gesture; the man with the penguin hat and his ginger-haired companion approached their captain.

"Take her. Get her bag too. We're going back to the ship."

Penguin Hat lifted the girl easily, careful to avoid the claws. _Finally_, they wouldn't have to worry about catching her anymore. This wild goose chase had _not_ been how he'd wanted to spend his week, and he had a sour feeling that it would take a while before he lived down the fact that she'd kicked him in the face the one time he'd managed to corner her. Aaron, that idiot, was still sniggering about it, despite the fact that _he_ was the one who'd got _bitten _by the savage little wench. He hoped his captain would soon get bored of her and dump her in the sea.

Law smiled smugly as he strode away, his men (one of them with a grouchy frown, the other with a huge grin) following close behind. He had a feeling that his experiment was going to be amusing. He had no idea that he was getting more than he had bargained for.


	3. Prisoner

Prisoner

The air around him was blue. The strange aura of his power filled the entire room, encompassing his tools, the operation table, his subordinate who was to assist him during the surgery, and the girl who lay on the table before him, motionless save for the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Trafalgar Law studied her, savoring the anticipation he always felt before an operation; he felt like an eager child about to examine a long awaited birthday present—and he _had_had to go through a lot of trouble to get her.

In repose her face was peaceful, leaving no hint of the fierce determination and anger it had worn earlier. He brushed long inquisitive fingers over her skin, noting with interest that her small bones were wrapped in lean, hard muscles. Lazily, he traced the shape of the crisscrossed scars that marred the pale skin of her back. They were burn scars, looking as if whatever has caused them had been applied by human hands, in contrast to the three thin, pale scars on her stomach that seemed to have been made by an animal; judging by the shape of them, he guessed the talons of a large bird. Where ever she had lived before she came to Sabaody, she had lead a hard life. Despite this, she appeared deceptively fragile: barely 5' 3" tall, she was slender; her face was pixie-like with delicate features. Her eyelashes were long and as white as her hair. He had smirked when he noticed that she had a navel piercing; a sharks tooth dangled from the metal stud. It contrasted oddly with the lacy, entirely feminine undergarments she seemed to prefer. The faded marks of old bruises shadowed her skin, most likely attained at the hands of slavers, and she smelled faintly of rose-scented soap and sweat.

When he made the first incision no blood welled around the blade; even if she had not been asleep, she would have felt no pain. The power he has acquired from one of the legendary "devil's fruits" was useful in every operation, but for this one it was absolutely necessary. He had never done what he was attempting to do—not like this—but he was confident that it would go well. She would come to no harm worse than discomfort, and that would go away eventually. She would adjust.

The cage of her ribs offered no protection against him, and he easily reached his target. Kenta, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and apprehension, took a step back from his captain as Law extracted it from her.

"You're sure this wont hurt her, right, captain?" _Not__that__I__really__care_ he told himself, _but__still__…__wow__…_

"Yes." He didn't take his eyes from the object in his grip. A grin stretched the corners of his mouth and he felt a familiar excitement in the pit of his stomach as he literally held her life in his hands. It was hot and wet, and pulsed in a slow steady rhythm. "You have the canister ready?" he asked.

"Yes, right here." Kenta held it open. It was metal, airtight, meant for safely holding such things. Law had modified it to make it even safer, the inside was padded and temperature and humidity could be easily regulated.

He replaced what he had taken with a rubber air-filled pseudo-organ—a lightweight thing merely for taking up the now vacant space. When all was done, he put her back together as methodically as he had taken her apart. The edges of her flesh knit seamlessly, leaving no sign that they had been severed. He wondered, with a small smirk, how long it would take her to realize she was missing something, and what the expression on her face would look like when she did. He stripped the blood-stained latex gloves from his hands, as the blue light flickered and died.

.

.

.

Slowly, her mind pushed away the heavy blanket of unconsciousness that weighed it down, and she experimentally moved her arms and legs. Finding that everything worked relatively painlessly, she sat up, head spinning as the room came into focus, and gradually took in everything around her.

She was sitting on a narrow, table-like bed, in a room with three other beds exactly like it. Steel cupboards with jars and bottles lined the walls, as well as complicated medical machinery that looked more than a little ominous. The air smelled of medicine and antiseptic, the floor was light, polished wood paneling, and the lights overhead were fluorescent.

_Am__I__in__a__hospital?_She thought groggily. Then the memory of what had happened struck her like a thunderclap. She suddenly sat up straight, every nerve alert. _No,__I'm__on__a__pirate__ship.__Captured.__Oh__shit__…_ she remembered Arianna saying that Trafalgar Law was a doctor, which explained all the advanced medical equipment. _I've__got__to__get__out__of__here__somehow._Pressing her hands to her stomach, which ached dully—getting punched in the solar plexus _hurt__—_she looked down and realized…Where were her clothes? She was wearing only a clean white bathrobe over her underwear. Clutching it closer to her and feeling more vulnerable than ever, she forced herself to remain calmas half formed plans swirled through her head.

Looking closely around the room for anything that might be useful, she cringed inwardly when her eyes caught sight of the restraints attached to the bed on which she was sitting. Luckily they weren't in use, but if Law came back, she was sure he could easily overpower her. What was he going to do to her? What if he'd already _done_something to her? Hastily peering down the front of her bathrobe, she was reassured to find that there were no unfamiliar scars. She felt fine, though her body seemed oddly light, as if she'd inexplicably shed a few pounds since she had lost consciousness. She supposed that it was an aftereffect from the drugs. Her heart wasn't even banging against her ribs the way she expected it to be doing by now…

Wait. Something was…wrong. _Very_ wrong. Starting to feel a sick fear, she held very still. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, could hear it throbbing in her ears—but there was no thumping against her ribs. Pressing her hands to her chest, she broke out in a cold sweat.

_Oh__god,__oh__god__—__"Surgeon__of__Death__…__"_he had cut out her heart.

A thrill of horror surged through her. She felt the blood drain from her face and she was suddenly so dizzy she could hardly stand upright. Her whole body was shaking.

_C'mon,__Shinju,__get__a__grip__on__yourself__… _she tried to force back the blind panic building up inside her, but it was like trying to hold back a train. The hideous emptiness in her chest was _very_ hard to ignore. She couldn't breath, the room was spinning around her, she wanted to run and run until she was far away from here, away from everything…She barely noticed when the door opened. _He_ entered and walked towards her, too quickly; she hadn't had time to prepare herself when he reached her. Showing not a fragment of concern for her feelings or personal space he tilted her face up with one firm hand and critically examined her milk-white complexion and shiny, slightly wild eyes.

"You need to calm down." He ordered, his hand still holding her. "Take deep, slow breaths." His words might have been taken for ones any doctor would use—if it were not for the fact that a smirk hovered on the edge of his lips, or that his tone was lazy to the point of being mocking—as if she were a small child overreacting to a matter that was quite trivial.

"Get away from me!" She wrested herself out of his grip and stumbled back, colliding with one of the metal cabinets that lined the walls. "You sick bastard!" she spat at him. There was hate in her eyes now, as well as fear.

He raised a thin black eyebrow and said "Now now, Miss Shinju, I haven't even hurt you—"

She fumbled open a drawer behind her and pulled out a lethally sharp surgical blade. He watched her, still mildly amused; unexpectedly, however, she turned the blade not towards him, but to her own throat.

"What are you doing?" he asked sharply.

"Do you think I don't know that there are worse things than death?" she hissed through clenched teeth, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her eyes were too bright. "I'd rather die by my hand than let you torture me and experiment on me, or keep me as your toy!" She pressed the blade harder to her skin, drawing a few drops of blood.

He looked at her for a few moments with no expression whatsoever, then, eyes fixed on her intensely, he placed a hand over his heart and said in a soft, fierce voice, "I swear I have no intention of torturing, raping or killing you." For once there was no trace of mocking smugness in his voice or manner. He was completely serious. Very slowly, she removed the blade from her throat and, glaring warily, lowered the knife back to the cupboard.

"Where is it?" He knew what she was referring to.

"I assure you, it's unharmed and safe."

His calm unconcern was making her furious. She wanted to rage and scream at him, to demand that he give it back, but inside she knew: there was nothing she could do. She was completely at his mercy.

She couldn't control him, she couldn't control her situation, but she _could_ control herself. He watched as she sat cross-legged on her bed, hands on her knees. Very slowly, she breathed in, then out. Her shoulders began to relax. Forcefully, she pushed all her emotions back, and locked them away. She'd have to deal with them later; it was just too much right now. A great coldness filled her, like ice. Finally she managed to look at him, her eyes blank. He leaned against the bed opposite her, arms crossed, regarding her with interest.

"What do you want of me, Trafalgar Law?" She asked coolly.

"I want you to join me." When she only stared at him silently, he elaborated, "on my journey. as a member of my crew."

Finally, she answered "Why me? I'm just an artist, and a girl. Why did you bid on me?"

The smile that met these words indicated that however many times she insisted that she was an ordinary citizen, he wasn't going to believe it. She'd already given too much away.

"I have great interest in you, miss Shinju. You're different. I suppose it's simply you're misfortune that you caught my attention." He paused to watch her, and she felt that he was waiting for her to demand more information so that he could enjoy not giving it to her.

"In any case," he went on when she remained silent, "you've since proven yourself to be clever, brave and determined. You have potential."

"So many compliments." She murmured, eyes veiled by her long lashes. "I might blush." Her voice was cold and her face expressionless.

"They are merely facts, Miss Shinju." He studied her, eyes curious. "I wonder… when you first discovered I was after you, what did you think the reason was?"

She swallowed, and said, "I assumed you saw me as a toy that wouldn't break too easily."

He laughed, his smile widening to a grin and his eyes gleaming from the shadows on his face. "Ah, you think so badly of me. It hurts my feelings."

"Liar. I've heard things about you—"

"—And do you always believe everything you hear, Miss Shinju?" Storm grey clashed against pale blue as his gaze caught and held hers.

She didn't reply, a small frown on her face. What did he mean? Was he implying that he wasn't really a bad guy? If he was, she didn't know who he was kidding.

"So, what of my offer? Will you join me?" He let the question hang, tense and expectant, in the air.

"I'm not interested." She finally replied in a flat voice.

"Oh? And why is that?" He leaned closer; suddenly seeming, if possible, even more dangerous. She licked dry lips, thinking carefully about her answer.

At length she said, "Firstly, it would be…dishonest of me, to swear loyalty to you when I don't mean it. It wouldn't be right. I'd rather be trapped by you than by my own promise; if I did that, it would be wholly my fault. Secondly, I don't believe my path in life is to be a pirate. And lastly,"—a flash of anger showed through the blankness in her eyes—" I just really, _really_don't like you. And there's something you should know: you _can__'__t_ force loyalty from me. Don't mistake me"—she added, realizing that he might take that as a challenge—"I know you can make me say anything you want to hear, I don't even want to imagine the things you could do to me. I know I can't fight you. I've realized and accepted that. But through it all, you can't gain loyalty by force—not _true_loyalty. As clever as you seem to be, I hope you know that already. And"—she continued, the fierce anger again blazing briefly, "I assure you that if you do force me to lie and pretend to be loyal to you, I will really only be biding my time for the right moment to bring you down—even if I have to go down with you."

After having said all this, she was silent and waited to see how he would take it.

"I see." His smile reappeared. "In that case, until you are ready to accept me as your captain—"

"Don't hold your breath_"_

—"You will be my prisoner." He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Which means you will wear this." He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her, watching her expression with a hint of expectation in his face. She turned it over in her hands.

It was a black leather slave collar; two flexible wires ran through the length of it inside. The front clasp was held by a flat metal lock, onto which Laws sinister grinning Jolly Roger had been painted.

She paused for a moment, then briskly said "excellent" and put it around her neck, snapping the lock closed. He raised his eyebrows; clearly he'd been anticipating at least some anger from her. Seeing his look, she hitched a small, impudent smile on her face and said, "I wouldn't want anyone to mistake me for a pirate."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in a slightly menacing voice, "We'll have this little conversation again when you've had time to think." He smiled as he said this, a thin razorblade of a smile, all threat and coldness. She held his gaze and refused to look away, as still as a leaf on a windless night, though she could feel her fear building to press against the barrier with which she held it at bay. When he was satisfied that she had nothing else to say, he straightened and moved towards the door. Reaching it, he turned and said, "Follow me."

She slid stiffly off the bed, not asking where they were going. She held her head high and showed no emotion as he lead her down halls whose floors were also wood-paneled; the lights placed in intervals on the ceiling were softer than the ones in the infirmary. Judging by the few windows she had seen, it was night.

Finally stopping at a door, Law pulled it open and beckoned her inside. The room was small but not unpleasant: there was a bed by one wall and a chair next to it; a divan stood in the middle of the room, a low table in front of it. Like most ships cabins, the cupboards and closet were built into the wall, conserving space. There was one small, round window, set into a wall that slanted slightly. The room had the look of one that had been prepared for her some time ago. Shinju felt a twisting pang of annoyance and helplessness: he'd had everything ready for her; he'd never doubted that he'd catch her…

Noticing a door in the left wall, she put aside her thoughts and glanced at it, then at Law, silently questioning.

"That leads to my room." He smirked as he studied the look on her face. "It's locked, and will most likely remain so." He put a suggestive lilt on the "most likely", observing her out of the corner of his eye, mouth still curved in a smirk.

_H_e's _just__teasing._ She told herself, keeping her face blank. _He__promised__…_A little voice in the back of her mind spoke up. _What__makes__you__think__that__he'll__keep__his__promises?__He__can__do__whatever__he__wants__with__you__…__you're__helpless__…_ She tried to push away this line of thought.

"I've provided you with a room that has its own bathroom. I figured you'd be…uncomfortable, sharing with the crew."

Well, that was very considerate of him…she wondered if he was tricking or teasing her in some way, but a quick look at his face showed her nothing of his intentions.

"I'll let you get settled" he said, interrupting her reverie. "Rest. We'll see each other again tomorrow." He turned and left, the lock clicking behind him.

She stood unmoving for several long moments, and then took a few small steps forward. There were three large cloth bags piled in the middle of the room…opening one, she gasped in surprise when she saw her own clothes. The pirates had taken them from her house; they really _had_been prepared. It felt good to know that she would, at least, have somethingfamiliar with her on this strange journey. Peering through a small door in the right wall, she found that it led to the aforementioned bathroom. It was tiny, but she was relieved to see that she had her own bathtub, with running water and everything. Backing away, her eyes fell on the little table next to the divan. There was a plate containing a few bread rolls and some fruit, and a glass of water.

_I__wonder__if__I__feel__well__enough__to__eat__without__throwing__up__…_her stomach twisted with hunger as she looked at the food; it felt like it had been ages since her last meal. She took a step towards the table. A little bit wouldn't hurt…

A scant minute later, the plate was empty. Stomach satisfied, she felt a great weariness settle over her. Stumbling to the bed, she collapsed onto it and felt her body relax. Then the barrier with which she'd been suppressing her emotions while _he_ was with her collapsed.

She had to bury her face in the pillow, biting it hard, to keep from crying. She hated self-pity, but it was all so much to deal with; she would never see her home, her friends. She didn't know what would happen to her tomorrow, Law could kill her, he or his band of criminals could do anything to her; she was completely powerless.

Utterly worn out and filled with despair, her exhaustion finally carried her off to sleep.

.

.

_Even in her dream, she was huddled in a miserable ball, surrounded by darkness. Then a light approached her. It was the White Tiger. With a cry of joy, she embraced him, feeling his soft fur. Comfort and courage seemed to flow into her. Drawing back, he looked into her eyes. She saw in them deep meaning. "So that's how it is. That's the answer." She whispered. He nodded. Finally accepting the road before her, she looked at him and said, with a small smile, "Well, you and I have quite a journey ahead of us." She saw approval of her courage in his fathomless eyes, and, reassured, she sank into deep, dreamless sleep._

.

.

The first thing she noticed when she began to awaken was Law's presence; he was in the room, and he was close. Raising her head cautiously from her pillow, she saw he was sitting in the chair by her bed. He watched her with a small smile. She glared at him warily.

"How long have you been there?"

His smile widened. "About half an hour."

"Great." She muttered. She glanced longingly at her bathroom door. She was wearing the same clothes she was yesterday, and her mouth tasted disgusting.

"Go ahead" he said, waving a hand. "I can wait."

Needing no more encouragement, she rose from her bed and rummaged through one of the cloth sacks on the floor, retrieving her favorite rose-scented soap, a toothbrush, fresh clothes and a hairbrush. Now that she had accepted her situation, and knew what she wanted from the future, her movements had reassumed the simple, unconscious grace she usually expressed. She was no longer grim and frozen, like a condemned prisoner awaiting execution.

Shinju felt him watching her, wondering.

She washed quickly; pulling the pins from her hair, she brushed it out then pinned it up again in an uncomplicated style. She didn't want to make him wait too long. The clothes she selected were a pair of black pants that hugged her hips with a belt, then flared out to end just past her knees, and a white leather halter top that just barely showed her shark-tooth piercing. She smiled sadly, remembering how Arianna had scolded her, saying "proper" women didn't wear leather. Shinju liked it though. It was practical and long-lasting.

While dressing, she thought of her behavior the night before and felt ashamed. She had threatened to take her own life…the act of a weak fool. She had been panic-stricken, but that was no excuse, she thought she knew better than to let fear control her like that. She'd have to say something to him about it. Gathering herself up calmly, she stepped back into the room.

She turned towards where he was now lounging on one side of the divan, drumming his fingers on the armrest. She wondered what the tattoos on his hands and arms meant. Crossing the room, she sat down smoothly and looked at him.

"Eat" he said, pointing to a new plate of food on the table.

Ignoring this, she said "I want you to know that…what I did yesterday, when I threatened to kill myself—I didn't mean it—" He simply watched her. "It was stupid of me. I'm not normally that melodramatic."

"You were frightened. It's understandable. Now eat." He ordered again.

Not needing to be told twice, she grabbed the plate and dug in.

_Whoever__taught__these__pirates__how__to__cook,_she thought as she chewed, _missed__a__few__crucial__lessons.__Like__the__fact__that__food__is__supposed__to__taste__good._ She ate every bite. She knew what it was like to be starving, hungry enough to eat bugs and grass. She would never in her life waste food that was set before her. She pushed her plate back, and then glanced at the pirate captain sitting so close to her. It had been rather uncomfortable eating with him staring at her, but he seemed to be completely at ease.

_At__least__one__of__us__is,_she thought wryly. She saw with a start of surprise that he was holding a glass tiger. A smile curled the corners of his mouth when she reached for it, and he handed it to her.

"Does the tiger have some significance to you, Miss Shinju?" he asked.

"It's—"she paused, looking at her hands clenched in her lap, unsure how to explain. "He is something that I've seen in my dreams since I was little. He represents me—well not me exactly—" she looked back at him, eyes defiant. "He's a representation of my Heart. Some spiritualities talk of 'animal spirit guides'. I guess that's what he is." She felt her face grow hot and looked back at her lap, expecting him to laugh or say something sarcastic.

"It suits you" he said softly. She looked up, surprised. He was looking at her very intently. She felt her face grow hot again. Annoyed with herself, she pushed back the emotion, cleared her throat, and placed the fragile figurine on the table.

"So," she said after drawing a breath, "what else do you want to know about me?" He smiled at her change of subject.

"Everything." She looked at him incredulously. His smile widened. "You can start at the beginning."

She sighed. She didn't really want to share the details of her life with this pirate, but she couldn't see any reasonable way out of it. Certainly she wasn't going to tell him everything, just the basics. Turning to face him, she began:

"Miles away from Sabaody, near the edge of the Calm belt, there's a tiny island. It doesn't even have its own magnetic pull, so no-one visits; a shipwreck island. In fact, the people who live there are the descendants of people who were shipwrecked on the island more than a hundred years ago. They knew almost nothing of the outside world; that is, until my father was himself washed up on the shore twenty years ago." She drew a long breath.

"The people from the village were ignorant, greedy and superstitious. My father was nothing like them, he was strong and brave and smart, and kind and compassionate…" Her face changed when she spoke of her father, her eyes grew brighter and softened, and she smiled. "The villagers were extremely distrustful of outsiders, but eventually he gained a wary friendship with them."

"As I was growing up, he taught me everything I know that's worth knowing; how to take care of myself, how to be strong and believe in myself and trust in my dreams. He told me such amazing stories: fairy-tales, and incredible stories of the places he's traveled to. I could never tell the difference between the real and the make-believe. But then"—she looked down at her hands, "—he left. He said there was something in the outside world that he had to do, that it was really important. He told me to wait for him to come back for me. Things changed after he left. The villagers…they never liked me, being the daughter of an outsider. I was different. They thought my pale hair and eyes were a bad omen. Eventually, they drove me away, and I had to survive on the outskirts. I'd had enough after six years. I left by myself, intending to find my father on my own. That is still my goal." She finished.

She'd left out a lot, and she could tell he knew it, but she wasn't giving any more details unless pressed for them.

"What about your mother?" he asked. She looked away, her hands resting calmly in her lap and her head poised serenely, looking every bit as demure and dignified as a princess.

"I didn't have a mother to care for me" was all she said.

He watched her closely as she avoided his eyes. He sensed that deep inside this self-possessed girl was a skittish creature, slow to trust anyone, who might balk with no warning— though, granted, when she _did_ recoil from him, she did it showing almost no outward signs of fear. Only great experience showed him that she was hiding something very important to her. He had plenty of time to question her later; bearing down on her now would only make her more difficult to deal with.

Finally, he said, "We'll continue this discussion later." Rising, he said "follow me. It's time for you to meet some of the guys."

_Oh__goody._ She sighed to herself.

.

As he led her through the halls, Law thought about the girl walking silently at his side.

He wondered how she had so quickly changed from the way she had been last night; her calm was not the icy, forced emotionlessness she had assumed then. She seemed to study things with a sort of mature innocence, and her eyes were no longer hostile when she looked at him; wary, perhaps, but not hostile. In fact, he thought there was something intriguing and a little unnerving about her gaze, as if she could see into his Heart. He was relieved that she had a healthy appetite, though he hadn't worried that she was so fragile as to suffer from emotional shock. Rather, he had considered that she might have refused to eat as an act of rebellion, as prisoners sometimes did. She was far calmer and more accepting than he had anticipated…but it was just as well. Force-feeding her would have been a chore. He realized that she was subtle and clever: she knew that any confrontation with him would end in her defeat, so she did as she was bid and answered all his questions, evading the details she did not want to give rather than refusing to comply outright. He would find them though. He hadn't got his reputation for being merciless for nothing, even if it wasn't always in the way most people assumed: he would get what he wanted. He had no reason to harm her as long as she cooperated. If she didn't, well—he smiled coldly—that would be her mistake.

.

Shinju pondered the pirate captain who was her captor. She still didn't understand why he had taken such an interest in her. Was it merely a whim or did he have deeper reasons? Was he planning on simply throwing her away when he tired of her? He seemed to like giving vague explanations for his actions. _He__can't__even__be__all__that__much__older__than__me._She thought as she walked at his side._Early__twenties__at__most.__How__do__some__people__get__to__be__so__dangerous?_With the emotional barrier she had put in place yesterday no longer present, she could now sense his Heart as usual. There was plenty of darkness, to be sure, but there was good as well, and she detected a very strong sense of curiosity. He was a man who had to find things, know things, and he'd go to lengths that others would think were excessive to do so. She'd have to be careful of that, and not let him think she was hiding more than she appeared to be; if he wanted something from her, she felt sure he'd find a way to take it. _I__can__do__this._ She told herself confidently, remembering her dream last night. _He__isn__'__t__dealing__with__an__ordinary__girl._

They approached a large double door. She could feel that there were people in the room beyond…

Law pushed the doors open. The men gathered inside looked up and turned towards their captain when he entered. They were all wearing the same kind of strange, bulky, single-piece white suit. Shinju privately thought that they looked more like space-travelers from a science-fiction novel than pirates.

The room was large, brightly lit, and empty of furniture. Weights, mats, punching bags and other exercise equipment lined the walls.

_A__training__room,_ she thought, a little apprehensively. _Why__introduce__me__to__them__here?_

"Everyone," said Law with a little smirk, "This is Shinju." Some regarded her with interest, others looked bored. The ginger-haired man she had seen before whispered something to his penguin-hat companion, who elbowed him. She noticed that ginger-hair was smiling at her, which meant either he had forgiven her for biting him, or he was plotting revenge, she couldn't tell.

"Shinju," Law continued, "I believe you've already met Aaron and Kenta." Ginger-hair grinned while penguin-hat scowled. "And these are Nealan (a black-haired man with a long tassel on his hat) Martino (the tall man was staring down at her, stroking his mustache; his hat had a star on the front) Vash (the blond man had a blue and red headband instead of a hat) and Jean Bart."

She wanted to take a step back from Jean Bart. He was a huge, hulking man, with long muscular arms and a savage looking face. He was the only one not clad in a weird white suit, instead wearing black; they probably didn't have a suit large enough for him.

"Now then." Law jerked his head at Martino, who nodded and walked to the center of the room. Turning to Shinju, Law said "you're going to try to take him down. Use all the force you can, as if you were really trying to kill him, or you'll just be wasting our time. Begin."

She swallowed. "I hope you're not expecting anything great." Suddenly she felt very nervous. "I've…no formal training, none at all."

"I just want to see what you can do. Now, _begin."_

She nodded. She had expected something like this when she saw the room they were in. Slipping out of her cloth shoes (her bare feet would have better grip on the polished floor) she faced the tall man and bowed politely, then charged.

It was no use. She used every move she knew, every trick, but she couldn't budge him. He blocked every blow and flung her back. Once she almost had him; she launched herself up and hooked a leg around his neck, using the momentum of her body to pull him off balance, but he righted himself and tossed her away easily.

Dashing sweat from her eyes, she wished she had her favorite weapon; a staff with an orb for hitting on one end and an eighteen-inch blade on the other, but she remembered with a pang that it and all the things from her first home were in the secret cupboard in her house on Sabaody.

Getting up again, she noticed that her arms and legs were trembling with exhaustion and every breath burned. _Maybe__if__I'm__bad__enough__at__this__he'll__lose__interest__in__me__and__let__me__go._ She thought as she lunged again. _Or__maybe__he'll__dump__me__in__the__ocean__and__let__the__fishes__eat__me._ She was out of practice and she knew it—her life on Sabaody had made her soft.

She was wondering how much longer she could continue when Law raised a hand. Martino immediately relaxed his stance, and Shinju had to keep her knees from giving way. There was a short silence, and then someone said "not bad." Another commented "did you see how she almost got him with that leg hook?" She looked around, confused.

"W-what are you talking about?" She panted. "I didn't take him down once!"

"Of course you didn't." The ginger-haired Aaron grinned. "But he actually had to work to block some of those—and Martino's our best, besides Bepo.

She didn't know who Bepo was and she didn't care; it at least looked like she wasn't going to be fed to the fishes.

"You're going to be training here every day from now on." Law said, watching her closely. "I'll know if you slack off. Aaron, take her to her room." Aaron nodded and beckoned to her; after pausing to put on her shoes she followed him.

"So," he said, glancing at her as they walked, "I guess you're pretty spunky, huh?"

She didn't know what to say to that. She didn't feel spunky—in fact she felt like she wanted to crawl into a dark hole somewhere and pretend to be dead. Seeing her expression, he said, "don't worry. You'll get used to it here."

_That's__strange,_she mused,_he__seems__almost__nice__—__for__a__pirate_.

They had arrived at her door. "Captain will be around to see you this evening."

"I can hardly wait." She muttered as the door closed (and locked) behind her.

She knew what she wanted to do first, even before putting her things away; she _needed_ a bath. It's uncomfortable taking a bath in an unfamiliar place, not least on a ship full of pirates who have abducted you and are holding you captive, but when a girls gotta bathe a girls gotta bathe.

She put her now sweat-soaked clothes in her laundry basket and added three drops of rose oil to the hot water. It felt so heavenly on her sore muscles that she had to resist emptying the tub and filling it again, reminding herself that she had things to do.

She dressed in loose-fitting fawn brown pants and a cream-colored blouse. Putting the rest of her clothes away, she blushed at realizing that the fact that she had a bag full of her own undergarments meant that those strange men had seen them...likely they didn't give a damn but it was still embarrassing. She liked her lingerie to be made of silk and lace; after spending most of her life in poverty, she felt like a real princess when she wore silk.

The last thing that she set up was her easel and paints. Then she decided that a short nap would be lovely…

She awoke hours later to a rap on her door. Aaron poked his head in.

"You're having dinner with us, squirt." She twitched an eyebrow at the nickname but managed a small smile.

The dining room was right next to the kitchen (the galley, she corrected herself) and held one long table. Law sat at the head of the table, reading something and turning a fork over and over absently in one hand, apparently not noticing her. Following Aaron, she walked up to the counter that separated them from the galley. The man behind it, whom she assumed to be the cook, was short and fat, with long curly blond hair, small round glasses, and a bowtie attached to the neck of his suit.

"Hey" he said, smiling at her (kind of creepily, she thought) and pushing a plate of food across the counter to her.

"Ain't she cute, Gale?" Aaron joked. She gave him a look as she grabbed her plate.

She chose an empty seat at the end of the table, as far from Law as possible. Aaron sat next to penguin-hat, not too far away. She looked around at the men as she ate. They were deep in conversation, and paid her no mind.

"I'm tellin ya, Ace doesn't have a chance." One was saying. Of course, they were discussing the upcoming execution. "The marines are too well armed; they've got the admirals, vice admirals, _and_ the seven warlords! It's a death trap, even Whitebeard—" another man slapped his hand on the table.

"—This is _Whitebeard_ we're talking about! I mean, I know he's old, but he's the strongest man on earth _and_ who knows how many allies he's bringing from the New world…"

Shinju finished eating, and rose to put her empty plate on the counter, as she had seen others do. Turning away, she found her path blocked by the large, orange-clad bear she had seen before on Sabaody.

"Excuse me." She said politely, stepping around him. He blocked her again. A few of the men turned to watch. She noticed that Law was no longer in the room. She looked up at the bear, whose beady black eyes blinked at her.

"I outrank you."

"Pardon?"

"I outrank you." He repeated. "You have to do what I say."

"I wouldn't count on that, Mr. Bear." She towed the line at taking orders from talking bears. He uttered a soft growl. "Don't you growl at me!" she said sternly, planting her hands on her hips. He immediately hung his head.

"I'm sorry." He sounded very sincere.

"For heavens' sake, Bepo," penguin-hat snapped, "don't be such a doormat!" Bepo hung his head again.

"Sorry…"

"You ready to go back to your room, squirt?" Aaron had stood up. She nodded.

.

Law was already there when she entered. When her eyes fell on the table in front of him, she gave a cry of delight; on it were all the things she'd thought were left in her house at Sabaody: her staff weapon and hunting knives, her book of paintings that was like a journal to her, the flute her father had made, a clay pot with a wax-sealed cork, and a bundle she knew contained the clothes she had worn when she set out on her little raft.

"Sit" He ordered. She did. He picked up a curved blade, about twelve inches long, and handed it to her. "How were these made? I've never seen knives like this before." The blade was rough-looking, a bright turquoise color, the handle wrapped in gray leather. Its edge was very sharp.

"The blade is made from the spine of a certain kind of shellfish. The spine is pried away from the shell and sharpened. This"—she picked up the clay pot—"contains sap from the Enotia tree. Paint it on the blade, let it harden, sharpen it, then heat it, and it becomes extremely durable and won't lose its edge."

He raised his eyebrows. "Enotia sap is very rare and valuable."

She shrugged. "The trees grew on the island. The villagers used the sap on their pottery so it wouldn't break. My dad taught me how to make these blades."

"Did your father teach you how to fight?"

"No, I taught myself how. I trained hard, every day."

"Why?"

"I wanted to be strong. I believe too many people—women especially—have to rely on others to protect them. I wanted to be different."

"How did you get the scars on your back?"

She looked down. So he had seen those. "Some boys from the village thought it would be very amusing to hold burning pieces of firewood to my skin. I was eleven. They were one of the reasons I wanted to learn how to fight so bad."

He looked at her a long moment, then stood. "I'm taking these with me." He said, gathering up the knives. She nodded. "Oh and Miss Shinju…" He turned back towards her. "Did those boys ever do anything else to you?"

"Oh yeah, I spent a lot a time running away from them. Their leader pushed me into the ocean in winter once."

He tilted an eyebrow at her matter-of-fact tone and said "I see. That isn't the type of harm I was referring to, though."

She blushed hotly. "Oh…no, nothing like that. They had pretty village girls, and I was just a scrawny freak." _Why__had__he__asked_that?

"Ah… goodnight then." He left.

She contemplated staying up to paint a bit, but she was too tired. It had been a long, strange day. Curled up in bed a minute later, she sighed. She still didn't know what would happen to her tomorrow, but at least she felt she could handle it.


	4. Fishman Island New Content Added!

Fishman Island

_There were people standing all around her. Adults. She gazed up at them, her face tear-streaked. Their eyes were as hard as granite, as cold as ice. Even worse were their Hearts; she could feel them: there was fear, and cowardice, and anger, and contempt; but there wasn't a glimmer of pity, not even a speck of compassion. She only had eyes for one person in the crowd. Turning to her, she screamed "You're my _mother_!" the words tore from her throat. "YOU'RE MY MOTHER!"_

Shinju's eyes snapped open. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and trying to push the remnants of the dream out of her mind. With a hint of irritation that showed on her face in the form of a small scowl, she rotated the collar that was locked around her neck; she was not used to wearing it yet and it dug in uncomfortably. Despite her efforts to remain awake, the weariness acquired through her new and strenuous training regime had gotten the better of her, and she had dozed off on the divan in her room after finishing a painting she'd been working on.

Painting, drawing, and writing were things she had had a passion for since she was very young. She had always known that like her father, she would one day travel the world and see strange and wonderful things. Unlike her father, she would keep a detailed physical record of her travels, in the form of an illustrated book. She already had one complete book of paintings; on one cover was written the words "Book of Sorrows" and on the other, "Book of Dreams". They combined to tell the story of her six years of exile on her home island. It was her secret dream—one that she had never told anyone—to publish the book she had yet to write, the book of her world travels, and share her adventures with the world. She already knew what she would title it: the Book of Days. She'd had this vision in her mind for years.

But first, she had a different adventure before her. Traveling the seas as a captive on a pirate ship had definitely not been part of her great plan, but it did make a good story. A story she intended to tell: her paintings would be both conceptual descriptions of her thoughts and emotions, and a chronicle of the places and people she would see.

The painting that rested on the easel by her small table depicted a girl (her) walking on a winding road that seemed to be suspended in darkness. Beside her stood a proud white tiger. There appeared to be a hollow dark hole in the girl's chest, but in her hand she held a white lotus blossom that shone with a bright radiance.

Shinju regarded the picture critically for a few moments. She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to name it yet; perhaps "Dark Journey" or maybe "Journey Through Darkness". It would be the cover of her first book, provided, that is, that there _would _be light at the end of her journey. Though if there wasn't, the book probably wouldn't get finished at all, and it wouldn't matter what she titled it.

Looking over the array of paper, paint and brushes scattered on the table in front of her, she was puzzled again by the circumstances of her captivity. The man who held her captive—she really didn't like to think of his name, she was angry with him and he didn't deserve the acknowledgment—had not only supplied her with all her needed art materials, but had promised to provide her with more if she ran out. She supposed that since he was trying to convince her to join his crew, he was willing to play nice and allow her to continue to do something she loved to do, something that was a unique part of her character. Surely there couldn't be any other reason; he was not a nice person by anyone's standards.

Standing, she stretched, then grabbed the wooden flute her father had made for her many years ago. She needed to get some fresh air. Stepping outside her room, she closed the heavy door quietly behind her and made her way through the winding hallways to the deck. Choosing her favorite place at the bow of the ship/submarine, she surveyed the ocean around her. It was just past sunset.

.

They had finally escaped the calm-belt, and everyone was enjoying the respite from having to flee huge vicious sea monsters every waking minute. During the entire hasty trip to Marineford and the ensuing escape to Amazon Lily, she had been locked in her room with no clue as to what was going on. The only person she saw was the plump curly-haired cook who delivered her meals, and although she bombarded him with questions he wouldn't give her any details.

Later, as they were docked at Amazon Lily, she had been given a brief explanation of current events (she could only listen in stunned disbelief at hearing that they had recued Monkey D. Luffy and barely escaped two admirals in the process) and was told that she would have a bit more freedom now that they were (presently) out of danger. The ginger-haired, ever laid-back Aaron had been given the task of showing her around her new home. Of the men she had met so far, he was the nicest and easiest to get along with.

"That", he had pointed down a hallway, "is the crews quarters." He grinned wickedly. "You're not to go there—not that we'd mind, but…captains orders and all…" He said with a certain regret.

"Not like I'd want to go there." She stuck her nose in the air and adopted a jokingly prissy manner. "I bet it smells like moldy socks."

Instinct told her that being bold and unworried was the best way to act—if she was reserved it might be taken for shyness, and shyness may be taken for weakness. She couldn't afford to be seen as being weak.

He laughed.

Aaron had no trouble remembering the little talk that Captain Law had given the crew, the day that Shinju had come aboard. He'd left them with no doubt that he wouldn't tolerate anyone "messing" with the girl. "If she doesn't crack under the pressure—and I have a feeling that she'll hold up—she'll come to see things my way, and she'll join us. You are to consider her a potential crewmate." He'd given them all a long look, letting that sink in. Then his face had split into a wolfish grin. "Not to mention, treating her well is in your best interests. When she's been trained up a bit…that girl will be able to kick your asses."

Aaron was not sure if his captain had been joking, but he had a nagging feeling that he had not been. If Law thought the girl was strong, then it was probably true. Plenty of his crewmates had their doubts, but he wasn't the doubting type; anything was possible in this crazy world. It certainly wouldn't do any harm to be nice to her.

Having an attractive girl on board whom they were not allowed to touch was frustrating, to say the least. She was enticing; a forbidden fruit. Well, even if she was off limits, they could still enjoy her slender prettiness, her voice, her feminine scent. It was maddening, but better than nothing. She wasn't bad company either. Perhaps he could coax one of her unguarded smiles from her; she was always most beautiful when she smiled, though understandably it was a rare and fleeting occurrence. Hey, the captain hadn't forbidden a little harmless flirting; showing her around the sub was the perfect opportunity to have her to himself.

.

Shinju had already been shown how to get to the dining and training rooms, and the deck, as well as been prohibited from going near the engine and storage rooms, and the infirmary (unless she needed to be there of course). As she followed Aaron around through metal-plated halls listening to his friendly chatter (and what he undoubtedly thought were witty jokes—was this goof flirting with her?), she realized that although her father had taught her everything he knew about ships, she had a lot to learn about submarines. The submarine of the Heart pirates was peculiar in that it had a very ship-like design, with sails that could be used when they were not submerged. She would have to be attentive and learn just how the vessel she was captive on was run. Any knowledge was valuable, even if she never had cause to use it.

"Tell ya what," Aaron had said, interrupting her thoughts, "I'll show you the control room, you'll like the observation window. Just don't go near the controls or you'll be in trouble."

The control room was at the highest level inside the submarine; the two control panels on either side of the room were covered with buttons and screens and knobs that all looked very confusing to the girl. The dark-haired Neal sat in front of one, poring over a set of sea charts.

Neal was a quiet man who took his job as navigator very seriously. Shinju had come to realize that he wasn't unfriendly as he seemed to be at first, he just wasn't talkative.

She had run past him to peer out of the large circular window at the front of the room. Craning her neck, she could just see the tall cliffs and dense jungle of Amazon Lily. She had asked Law if he would allow her to visit the city that was hidden in the heart of the jungle, seeing as she was the only outsider who would be allowed in; men were strictly forbidden. She had even offered to barter for any supplies he might want, and be his eyes and ears in the hidden city—but he had wordlessly shaken his head, and she knew arguing would do no good.

As she stared out the large window, she reflected that he probably didn't want to risk the chance that she might gain the sympathy of the Amazon warriors.

Hearing footsteps, she knew without turning that Kenta (she still liked to think of him as "penguin-hat") had entered.

He strode over to one of the control panels. Glancing at Aaron, he said "weren't you supposed to be—hey what's _she_ doing here?" He had caught sight of Shinju, her nose pressed against the window as she imagined seeing giant fishes in the depths of the sea.

"I was showing her around."

Kenta frowned. "Did Captain say she could come here?"

"He didn't say she couldn't."

"What if she messes with the controls?"

Shinju had scowled, still not turning towards them.

"C'mon Kenta" Aaron said with his usual relaxed grin. "Give her a chance, she's not stupid."

"Hmph." Kenta frowned again and turned back to the controls. Of all the crew, Kenta was the only high-ranking member who openly had a problem with Shinju. Although he wouldn't dare question his captain's decision, he nonetheless made his dislike clear.

Her acceptance among the rest of the crew was fairly good; she reacted with neither timidity nor anger when they picked on her, so there wasn't much sport to it, she made frequent funny little quips that often got a laugh from many of them, and she stayed out of the way when they were busy.

"C'mon squirt, there's still more to see." Aaron led her from the room. "Don't worry about him," he said, seeing her sullen look as she glanced back at the control room. "He just doesn't think it's a very good idea to have a woman onboard, that's all."

"I don't think it's a very good idea either." She muttered. It's not like she had asked to be here.

He laughed again.

.

Shinju placed her flute to her lips and played a slow, melancholy tune, thinking about the people that fate had made her companions.

When she had first begun to prepare herself for her new life, she had envisioned all the things she might have to endure; she could be treated as a maid of-all-work and be forced to do the lowest of chores, she could be made sport of or be treated as a pet, or worse…Just the thought of such things made her clench her fists and grit her teeth with rage; it took every ounce of self-control she had to remain calm. She wondered just how much her pride would be able to take take. Pride, she knew, was a great danger to her: if she was prudent, she'd be humble and take what was dealt her without causing trouble, but she had her doubts as to how long she could keep up that attitude. She was to discover, however, that captain Law and his crew were going to surprise her, and probably not for the first time.

She had presented herself among them wearing her most modest clothes (no need to ask for trouble), holding herself erect and keeping her face expressionless. If abuse, either physical or verbal, was going to rain down upon her, she was not going to show any sign of embarrassment or fear. Soon, though, it became apparent that all of them had orders not to lay a hand on her, and she was not expected to do any chores aside from taking care of her own laundry. Even more astonishing, she realized that most of them didn't seem to be at all interested in being cruel to her, orders or no orders. Carefully, she let herself relax a bit and get to know them a little better.

Aaron told her without restraint that he had been an orphan, living in the streets as a rogue and a troublemaker. When he finally went too far and got a price on his head (in an incident he insisted was not entirely his fault) he decided to try his hand at piracy and was taken on by Captain Law, who himself had only recently taken to the sea. Kenta, Aaron told her, had been helped by Law out of some very serious trouble, and had been loyal to him ever since. Aaron and Kenta were buddies, despite their great differences in personality; Kenta was nearly as cranky and cynical as Aaron was optimistic and friendly. And the others had interesting histories as well; Vash was a former mercenary, Martino had been born an aristocrat, Jean Bart had only recently been freed by Law from slavery.

She knew it could be so much worse; they were not the vile, slit-your-throat-and-drink-your-blood kind of monsters that common opinion said comprised most pirate crews. In fact, most of them were kind of funny—in a disreputable, rowdy sort of way. And the bear, Bepo, she couldn't deny, was rather adorable, even if he was annoying. There was only one group of them that she really disliked, and that was the lower-ranking crewman Temlin and his cronies. They made little secret of their opinion as to why their captain had chosen to take Shinju captive—the fact that her room was adjacent to Law's did not help—and they took every opportunity to sneer at her and laugh as she passed. More than once she had heard Temlin mutter _captain's whore _just loud enough for her to hear. Well, let him. She stared straight ahead and kept her face blank as if she was unaware of his existence. _She _knew the truth, and he didn't know anything, the son of a bi—no, she wasn't going to waste anger on them. They weren't worth it.

She sighed and looked out over the endless water to the horizon, which was fading from lilac to the deep blue of night. Thinking about the crew caused her to turn her mind, unwillingly, to their captain.

Trafalgar Law commanded his men with few words; they seemed, for the most part, to need only his facial expressions and small hand gestures to know what he wanted of them. He was considerably intimidating and she had no doubts that he was quite capable of being ruthless, though his crew was united in their admiration and respect for him; as hard as he was on enemies, he did not mistreat his men. In return he expected—and got—unwavering loyalty and instant obedience; she knew from the start that they wouldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of him.

As for her, she found herself hoping that he would refrain from paying her much attention. He had never given her a satisfactory answer as to why he had chosen her, and she was more than a little suspicious of his intentions. He was a secretive man, and not easy to read, which was unnerving to her, as she normally had no trouble figuring people out. She always felt uncomfortable when he fixed his inscrutable eyes on her; his dark gaze seemed to hold both an unspoken threat and a half-inviting promise of something she couldn't quite put a name to…but it made her very nervous. There was something daunting in the impudent catlike way he moved, in the small sardonic turn of his lips and the ever watchfulness of his eyes. It didn't help that he was unmistakably handsome—not that she'd ever cared much about looks, of course—and she _really_ didn't like his smile; it always seemed mocking because it never reached his eyes. She had to admit it: he frightened her. But she wasn't going to let that fear get the better of her, and she _certainly_ wasn't going to let him see it if she could help it. She met his eyes squarely whenever she spoke to him, and often when she caught him looking at her. Whenever she did this, that tiny smile would curve his lips, as if he thought she had done something amusing.

When he spoke to her his words were always courteous, even if they did carry a faint undertone of sarcasm. But that wasn't any reassurance; his aloof civility was chilling, as if he could shake your hand or tear your eyes out with exactly the same cool, polite manner. However, she could tell, with her rather unique senses, that he wasn't as cruel and ruthless in his Heart as he was reputed to be. She assumed that, like other infamous men (and women), he lived hidden behind the mask of a frightening reputation, and used this to his advantage, not bothering to correct misconceptions. She wondered if his reputation ever helped _him_ hide from his true self.

She tried not to let herself mull over how angry she was with him, it would only waste her energy and certainly wouldn't change anything; still, she had to force herself not to think about what he had done to her to insure that she couldn't escape from him. When ever her mind dwelt on the hollow stillness in her chest where her heart should be, she found herself feeling shaky and sick, sometimes even dizzy. And _definitely_ angry. During the first week of her captivity she had suffered from sudden attacks of nausea and panic, until gradually she had adapted to the unnatural and disturbing sensation of having a part of herself cut away and hidden somewhere. She had to get it back, she had to…

.

The half-light of dusk had vanished, and the bright stars overhead were reflected in the ocean like a second sky. She was reminded of her first night on her little raft. Even alone on the vast sea, she had felt not fear, but joy and wonder. Now, two years later, she was setting out to sea again; not the way she had planned, but she _would_ be able to resume her search for her father. Judging by the stories he had once told her, he would most likely be in the New World. Being captured by these pirates was not a complete loss for her—she didn't know how else she would have managed to get to the New World, if not in the company of a powerful group. That very problem had been bothering her before her abduction.

Shinju broke off her playing mid-note when she felt _him_ approaching. She could just see him dimly silhouetted against one of the ships lanterns, and she couldn't hear him at all, as he was silent as a cat.

"I thought I might find you here." He said, walking up to her. "You should go to bed. I don't want you alone out here after dark."

"Alright." She said nothing more as she stood. As she passed him, he stopped her with a light tug of her ponytail.

"What was that song you were playing?"

"It's just something I made up."

It was too dark to clearly see his face, but she knew he was smiling.

.

She sat in the dining room the next day, quietly drawing in her sketchbook as she lounged on a bench at the side of the room. Normally she would do this in her room, but she had decided not to isolate herself; the men needed to get used to her, and she definitely needed to get used to them. If they expected her to spend most of her time hiding in her room, she would be sure to do the exact opposite. Setting herself against the crew and remaining aloof and distant from them would accomplish nothing aside from making her emotionally exhausted, and that, she knew, would make achieving her ultimate goal impossible.

There was a palpable excitement in the air as the crew sat around the table, discussing the voyage ahead: today they'd be going to Fishman Island, the last stop before the New World. During a lull in the conversation, Law looked over and addressed her. She paused in her drawing.

He typically ignored her, except to enquire about her progress in combat training or to ask her random questions about her past or thoughts (he was annoyingly curious). She couldn't say she was sorry; she had no desire to be in the company of the smug, menacing man who was responsible for her captivity any more than she had to be.

"Shinju. We'll be stopping for some last-minute supplies at Saboady." He considered her for a moment, and then went on, "You can come ashore if you promise to behave."

She turned her eyes back to her sketchbook. "No thanks." She'd already said goodbye to her former home, she didn't want to have to do it twice. Turning back to his crew, he dismissed them to disembark.

.

.

Nearly as excited as the crew, Shinju sat on the narrow cushioned bench that pressed against the wall in front of the observation window, propped up on her knees as she looked out eagerly. Kenta, Aaron and Neal sat at the control panels, their faces bathed in the dim red and green lights from the various screens and buttons. Metal tubes at each station connected to other parts of the submarine, in this case for the purpose of transmitting orders to the engine room.

Aaron had assured her that their submarine could travel to the ocean floor, even to the 30,000 feet to Fishman Island, without being coated with sabaody's unique pressure-resistant resin.

"This beauty's never let us down." He said fondly, patting the control panel in front of him. Shinju decided to take his word for it. She wasn't a timid girl by any standards, but the thought of being thousands of feet under the sea put her noticeably on edge. She tried not to think about some of the things she had heard about the passage to Fishman Island—like the fact that over seventy percent of the ships that attempted it didn't survive the trip, for instance.

"Fishman Island won't be the same as it was, will it?" She asked to distract herself. Kenta glanced at her. "It was Whitebeards territory, but now…"

Aaron nodded. "Things will be pretty bad for the merfolk. Like that mermaid we saw at the auction."

Shinju turned to him, startled. "There was a mermaid at the auction?" She knew that mermaids were prized by slave traders, as they sold for ridiculously high prices.

"Yeah, Strawhat recued her, didn't you know? Didn't you see her backstage?"

"I was drugged."

"Why?"

"I stabbed a guy's eye out."

He grinned. "You would."

The door opened.

"Prepare to dive."

Law had entered the room, Bepo close behind him. Everyone tensed, excited.

"Aye, captain!"

.

Shinju heard the rumble of the engines and felt the pressure change in her ears as the submarine dove deeper and deeper into the ocean, their course lined perfectly with the delicate downward-pointing needle of Neal's log-pose. At first they had a breathtaking view of dazzling light and color; fish of every shape, size and hue weaved through the roots of Sabaody's mangroves, some of them coming quite close to the submarine, their expressions curious at seeing this strange metal fish. But as the vessel dove deeper and deeper through the warmer waters of the euphotic zone, the brightness around them was leeched away. Eventually all that could be seen outside the thin beams of the Submarine's lights was the cold, gloomy darkness of the depths—darkness that got steadily blacker and blacker, until it seemed as if they were moving through ink instead of water.

The minutes dragged by until, quite abruptly, they were surrounded by pale, unearthly light. Shinju gasped in wonder.

They had entered a school of gargantuan jellyfish; their long ghostly tentacles glowed like an undersea aurora. Shinju wasn't sure if she'd ever seen anything so beautiful, or if she'd ever felt so small and insignificant.

Suddenly, Kenta jerked the steering wheel, skirting around something that had loomed out of the semidarkness: the gaping mouth of a sea monster, lined with teeth larger than their entire ship. With a snap that they all felt in their bones, the mouth closed on one of the jellyfish.

Shinju breathed a sigh of relief that the creature was not focused on them, but her comfort was not long lived.

"What is that?" Her voice emerged as a squeak, and her clammy hands were clamped on the window frame so hard that her knuckles stood out white as bone.

An immense shadow was looming behind the now diminutive-seeming monster that was munching on the jellyfish. She heard Aaron swear as the thing came into focus.

"A neptunian. I've never seen one that big before." Aaron muttered, sweating.

"Surely he wouldn't want to eat _us_." She said, trying to convince herself. "We'd be like a minnow to him…"

"We need more power." Kenta said tersely into his communication tube. Their speed increased; the metal and wood of the sub around them groaned and creaked from the pressure.

"Uh-oh" said Neal agitatedly. Shinju felt her stomach clench in fear.

"What is it?" Law asked calmly.

"We're about to run into a volcanic region. The rising currents from the heat could sweep us off course."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, they became aware of a change in the temperature of the air.

"Oh, I hate it when it gets hot like this..." Bepo whined. Everyone ignored him.

"Go around it." Law ordered. "It's about time we caught a downward current."

"Right."

Shinju wished she had studied more oceanography; she really didn't know much about what they were doing; all she could do was pray with all her might that they would live through it.

Law strode over to look out of the window beside her. "Are you enjoying you first tour of the ocean floor, Miss Shinju?"

She shot him a glare. "Is that supposed to be funny?" Sure, the jellyfish had been pretty, but riding an emotional roller-coaster of fear and suspense wasn't really her idea of fun.

"You can always go to your room and hide under the covers if you're scared."

"I'm not hiding!" She snapped.

He was gazing straight ahead, a reckless grin on his face. She could feel his excitement.

_He's actually enjoying this. _She thought in amazement._ Even though we could all die any minute._ What was _wrong_ with him? Then she remembered how she had smiled at death when she was in the ocean on her small raft. Was it the same?

The air cooled again as they circumvented the volcanoes. Huge jagged rocks towered on either side of them—mountains, Shinju realized, probably bigger than any that existed on land. Perhaps in a few hundred millennia, they would be new islands. She hoped that they were a sign that they were nearing their destination. Glancing at the log pose on Neal's wrist, she saw that the needle wasn't pointed downward as steeply as before.

When the mountains on either side disappeared they found themselves facing a colossal wall of blackness, rushing downward with unfathomable power.

"Here we are." Law's eyes gleamed, and his smile had become a grin.

"_Please_ don't tell me we're actually going into that!" Shinju's voice had bypassed squeaky and was now hoarse.

"That's exactly what we're going to do, Miss Shinju. That downward current is our road to Fishman Island. I suggest you hold on tight."

"I hope there aren't any krakens down there…" Bepo intoned.

"_Don't _say things like that!" Kenta snapped at him. "Do you _want_ to jinx us?"

Shinju felt the bottom drop out of her stomach when they took the plunge, and she had to muster all of her courage to keep from squeezing her eyes shut. She knew she was trembling. Every second felt like eternity as the ship careened crazily—they were going too fast to change course, there was no escaping the current—if it sent them crashing into a rock, they would all die instantly.

"c'mon, c'mon…jus a bit more…" Aaron was muttering under his breath, teeth gritted hard. Then—

"Level out!" Kenta shouted. Neal pulled back on the wheel with all his might and the ship missed colliding with the seafloor by about a hair.

Before them lay a vision from a dream.

The sand on the seafloor all around them sparkled like a million diamonds, coral blazed with color, and mile-high seaweed glimmered emerald green. Shinju had to pinch herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming: she felt like she was looking into another world. Radiant sunlight streamed into the window, so bright it hurt their eyes after all the darkness. It gleamed off the control panels and cast ripple-light reflections on the walls.

"Yes!" Aaron hissed in triumph. Neal breathed a sigh of relief as Kenta gave the engine rooms the order to lessen power.

The island was surrounded by a giant bubble, and inside they could just make out a city.

"How do you want to approach, Captain?" Neal asked. "According to our information, the official entrance should be—"

"We're not using the official entrance." Law cut in. His teeth flashed in a sudden grin. "We're going to blast in, full speed. Right here."

Shinju cast her eyes heavenward. _Bloody pirates._

"Aye aye, Captain."

.

.

One more harrowing ordeal later, and they were ready to disembark on Fishman Island. Fortunately for them, the bubble surrounding the island had two layers; the space between these layers contained water, allowing the submarine to maneuver freely to any area on the circumference of the island. Law chose to dock at a lower part of the island—not quite in the fishman district, which he knew was not welcoming to humans (to say the least) and well away from the palace.

"Alright everyone." Law looked at the men gathered around him and silence fell immediately. Shinju, still sitting unobtrusively on the bench by the window, almost bounced in her seat like a child. To actually be at fishman island…but it was unlikely that he'd let her disembark…she couldn't let herself get her hopes up…

"We've already decided on our first embarking-party to give the area a bit of a looking-over." He turned to Shinju, whose hands were twisting excitedly in her lap. "Do you want to come?"

Kenta suddenly looked a bit sour.

"Um, yeah, I would like to…" She was taken aback but pleased, and was honestly surprised he would ask. Was he up to something? It was difficult to tell if he had ulterior motives…

He stalked closer until he was directly in front of her, then tilted her chin up with one firm hand. "Then you will listen to me very carefully," he said, his gaze steady and his small polite smile in place. She swallowed. "You will stay in line, and you will obey any order I give you. Disobey, and you'll find out just how harsh I can be. Is that clear?"

She couldn't nod so she replied "Y-yeah—I mean—yes. No problem."

His smile widened a touch before he released her and started out the door. "Alright, let's head out."

Shinju fell into step behind Aaron and Kenta.

"I hope the mermaid café is still in business" Aaron exclaimed, looking as excited as Shinju felt. His eyes glazed over in a blissful, dreamy look. "I've heard so much about that place…"

"so…" Shinju interrupted his daydream, "is there any chance that I'll get to meet an attractive mer-_boy, _while you guys are off cavorting with mer-_maids_?"

"To bad for you," Aaron replied, looking entirely smug, "but I've heard that while mermaid are gorgeous, mer_men _are all weird and fishy looking. That's why"—his expression became even more blessed-out—"mermaids often long for the company of handsome human men…"

"Heh. If they're looking for _handsome _men, they'll be disappointed when they see you guys!"

.

.

Shinju wished she had a few more eyes as she stared in wonder at the city. She walked between Aaron and Kenta, with Law and Bepo just ahead of them. A few more men took up the rear. The pirates didn't gawk quite as obviously as she did, but she could tell that they were just as impressed.

The streets were smooth and slightly winding, rising gently upwards. They were made of a shiny stone that had a mother-of-pearl sheen to it. Sunlight glinted off every surface. Shinju remembered what her father had told her of the great tree, Eve, whose roots channeled light from the world above all the way to the sea floor, but it was one thing to hear about it and another thing entirely to see it for yourself. The beautiful buildings in the district through which they walked twisted in the ornate shapes of giant shells of all types and colors. There were fountains surrounded by gardens of coral and sea-flowers, and occupied by bright fish; there were even small creatures that looked like sea-cats and sea-dogs roaming the streets. More amazingly still, there were tube-like roads that soared through the air, made of bubbles and filled with water. She could see fish swimming through them, but no merfolk or fishmen. Where was everybody?

Shinju had a feeling that, despite lovely and seemingly peaceful surroundings, bad things had been happening here recently. Had the citizens fled to the palace? The magnificent building crowned the highest point of the city and was shut off from the rest of the island. It was probably heavily guarded—the best place for citizens to take shelter if they were in danger.

_That must be where the famously beautiful mermaid princess lives, as well_, Shinju thought. It was becoming clearer and clearer that there was something very wrong. Instead of being occupied by cheerful and prosperous civilians, the streets were deserted and forlorn—and they became even more so as they walked further into the city. With Whitebeards protection gone, pirates could do as they pleased here.

The buildings around them became less prosperous looking as they entered a different part of the island. This district seemed as if it were meant for human visitors, with tourist shops and restaurants at every side. The only thing that broke the oppressive, fearful silence was the distant shouts and drunken laughter issuing from a tavern somewhere. There was debris littering the streets and a nearby shop window had been smashed in. The scents of gunpowder and alcohol lingered in the air.

Laws men strode forward, looking about somewhat cautiously, ready for any trouble. They were drawing nearer to the noises from the tavern (or taverns) when another sound met their ears; a strangled, pleading cry in a female voice and the sound of scuffling footfalls quite close by. Suddenly, ahead of them, a grubby, savage-looking man in pirates garb turned onto the main street from a side ally. He was dragging a struggling merwoman with him.

"Shut up, fish!" He growled at her. "You're gonna fetch me a hefty sum on the slave markets, you are!" his grin displayed rotting teeth. His weaving gait and slurred speech gave evidence that he'd consumed quite a lot of grog.

Law watched him pass, his face completely impassive. Shinju stepped out of her place between Aaron and Kenta. Memories of the slave-auction flashed through her mind—the slavers, the chains and beatings…She couldn't let this woman be taken right in front of her, without doing anything to stop it!

"Shinju! Get back in line," Law didn't have to raise his voice—he unsheathed it like a knife, and she hesitated, torn. "Get back in line _now_." There was no mistaking it, he was angry.

Then the woman turned and reached towards them, her tear-streaked face twisted with fear.

"Help me!" her cry was ragged and desperate.

That decided it. Shinju tensed, ready to spring. _If I'm not enough to take him down, Law will have to do something to protect me, and the woman can get free_. She thought grimly.

"AAAARRGHH!"

A sudden battle cry rang out as three fishmen sprang over a nearby roof. One sweep of a broad cutlass from the foremost of them sent the drunken pirate flying in a spray of blood.

Shinju backed slowly into her place, eyes still fixed on the scene before them. One fishman was gently gathering the sobbing merwoman into his arms. "Quickly, let's get her to Ryuugu palace with the other refugees. Prince Fukaboshi commanded us to return swiftly." their leader ordered. They glared belligerently at Law and his men as they passed, then disappeared around a corner ahead.

Shinju breathed a sigh of relief for the woman, then waited for them to continue walking. They didn't move. With a growing sense of foreboding, she stole a glance at Law. He was staring at her. She looked resolutely away, wishing he would stop. After a few moments, it became obvious that he wasn't going to look away until she acknowledged his gaze. She straightened and met his eyes, her expression defiant. After another long, tense moment, he turned, making a motion with his hand for them to follow. She knew it wasn't over though; she'd hear more about this later—most likely when he had her alone.

They had been walking for a few more minutes when, turning onto another street, they were met by a foul stench that made the men and Shinju cover their mouths and noses, many of them uttering swears or sounds of disgust. Shinju gasped in horror at the scene that met her eyes.

The street was a complete wreckage; dried blood was splattered thickly on the walls and gathered in sticky puddles on the ground. Worse still, corpses, by the look of them those of pirates, were skewered to the walls by swords and metal stakes. Shinju's eyes flickered over the bodies against her will before she pulled them away to stare at the ground. The corpses had been mutilated. She noticed, almost distantly, that a disproportionate amount of the debris appeared to be metal.

"It seems that Mr. Eustass was here." Law muttered, a look of pronounced distaste on his face. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Shinju.

Her shoulders were hunched defensively, and she stared miserably at the cobblestones beneath her feet.

"Bepo, you are to take Miss Shinju back to the ship." Law ordered quietly. The bear obeyed without question, and Shinju followed him wordlessly back the way they had come. The bear didn't have anything to say; she suspected that he didn't notice or care much about the subtleties of human behavior—particularly not those of insignificant little girls.

.

.

Shinju paced her room. She had tried to meditate, then to paint, and finally to play her flute, with little success. She couldn't settle. The images of what she had seen kept flashing through her mind, as well as worries of what Law was going to say (or do) to her once he got back. Eventually she heard a door open, then close. He had returned. The lock in the door that separated their rooms clicked and it swung open.

"In." he ordered curtly. She entered, her back straight as a lance and her face grim.

His room was spartanly furnished, the furniture made of dark wood and the rug and upholstery shades of black and deepest blue. The air bore his scent, a unique and personal smell that she was unnerved to find she recognized easily.

He stepped behind his desk; resting his hands on the surface, he looked her over coldly.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" His tone was dangerous.

Resisting the urge to stare at the floor like a guilty toddler, Shinju suddenly recalled the way the merwoman had cried out and reached for her. She raised her chin higher. She did _not_ regret wanting to help her!

"I have nothing to say." She knew he wasn't going to listen to excuses.

"Good. I don't want to hear it." He sat, propping his elbows on the desk and putting his fingertips together. "I admit, when I decided to let you come along, I had doubts about your ability to control yourself" his voice was cutting, "but to barely last ten minutes before doing exactly what I'd told you not to do—"

"But," she interrupted, "that woman's freedom was more important than my—"

"That woman's freedom was none of your concern."

She straightened, eyes blazing."I'm _not_ a pirate, Mr. Trafalgar! I'm not a cold, heartless—"

"Then you don't have what it takes to survive here." His expression was as hard as his words.

"_Don't have what it takes?_ I have more than you! Compassion, and—and a sense of honor—"

His lip curled. "Your understanding of those words is as advanced as a two-year-olds. You know nothing of the world—you're a child."

She clenched her fists, lips pursed. He had _no_ idea just how much she knew of the human Heart, and she couldn't tell him.

"I suggest you wise up, Miss Shinju, because you're going to get a hard lesson traveling with me. Now, those fishmen intervened before you could, so I won't punish you, but believe me, if you had gotten us involved, you'd be regretting it right now."

She felt anger bubbling to the surface. Glaring fiercely, she retorted "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Are you done scolding me or is there anything else?"

"Don't take that tone with me." His voice was dangerously soft. "I've tested you're obedience, and found you lacking. We're going to work on that, and believe me—" his voice became even softer—"you _will_ improve."

She gritted her teeth, still glaring.

He matched her angry gaze for a few long seconds, then said "You will stay in your room until it is time for you to train." A cruel smirk twisted his mouth. "Oh and Shinju…you will be training with some new faces today. Mind you work extra hard…I've given them instructions to make it _particularly_ educational."

She turned on her heel and left, not daring to slam the door as she wanted to.

.

Shinju meditated, getting her emotions in order, then did a set of complicated stretches called "yoga" which her father had once learned in a distant land. They helped loosen her muscles and relax her mind.

Slipping cautiously through the training room door, she closed it quietly behind her and surveyed the men already gathered inside. The crowd she usually trained with—Aaron and Kenta and Neal and the rest—were the men who spent the most time with Law; the higher ranking crewmen. The guys assembled here now were ones she only saw at mealtimes, or passed in the hall occasionally. Oremu and Oshemu, the dark-skinned, burly twin brothers, she knew were mechanics that cared for the submarine's complicated engines like they were precious children. She saw, with a grimace of disgust and foreboding, that Temlin was also present. He was going to _love_ showing her who was boss. She knew he was that type. She didn't know the names of the others.

Upon noticing her entry, the men turned, wicked grins breaking across their faces.

"Well, if it isn't captains little pet." Temlin sneered. She kept her face smooth and didn't reply. "What's the matter poppet? Don't ya have anything to say?"

She blew a strand of hair away from her eyes. "I'm here to train."

.

Later, as she staggered out of the training room, she remembered what Law had said to her. _Heh, "not punishing you" my foot. He must have meant "won't punish you severely." And if this isn't severe, I don't wanna know what is. _She knew this was just a warning.

It hadn't been training so much as a well organized beating. It made her realize just how much the men in her normal training sessions held back. She'd taken every blow and fall without even the smallest complaint. They had been watching her eagerly, waiting for her to break down, and she had be savagely pleased to feel their confusion and (in Oremu and Oshemu's case) grudging respect.

Once, after a particularly hard fall, her mind recalled words spoken by a man she loved more than anything. _The most important thing in a relationship, Shinju, is trust, and not just relationships with other people, but with yourself. Trust your mind, trust your Heart, and trust your body. Have faith in all aspects of yourself, and work hard. You'll get stronger._

She had gotten up smiling. After all, it wasn't just these pirates she was training with; she had herself, and her father. And the harder the training, the stronger she wound get. Someday she would be strong enough to protect anyone she wanted, without need for permission. Someday, she'd gain her freedom.

In the meantime, though, just about every inch of her body hurt. She knew she'd be bruised all over.

She was so worn out as she made her way back to her room that she didn't notice Temlin lurking in a storeroom off the hall, waiting for her. When she passed the door, he grabbed her and pulled her in.

The only light inside the small room came from the half-open door. With one hand he gripped both her wrists; the other covered her mouth and nose. He had her backed up against the wall and was standing so close that even if she hadn't been on the brink of exhaustion she wouldn't have been able to land a good kick. There was nothing she could do.

"You think you're so damn tough, don't ya, pet?" His sneering voice was just above a whisper.

She could feel his breath on her face. She didn't bother wasting energy struggling; she couldn't breath, and who knew how long he'd hold on to her, just for the fun of seeing her in pain.

"Well let me tell ya somethin'" he went on, "you don't belong here, and you won't last. I'll see to that myself, if I have to. You got me, pet?"

She would like nothing better than to kick this swaggering, ignorant bully in the nuts and spit on him as he writhed in pain, but, like so many times back home, she could do nothing but wait for her tormentor to tire of his amusement. It was no different from back then—she'd just progressed to bigger, meaner bullies. She clenched her fists and waited, her eyes glaring ice-blue hatred above his hand, burning like shards of frozen fire. Even when she was just a little girl, the bullies back home had been frightened of her eyes.

"What's going on here?"

They both started with surprise, then Temlin pulled his hands away from her as if he'd been burned. Neither of them had noticed Law enter.

"I don't remember giving you permission to discipline her outside of the training room, Temlin."

"No captain—we was just havin' a little conversation, that's all…"

"Really?"

Temlin squirmed under his captain's gaze. Law glanced at Shinju.

"Go back to your room."

She ducked her head as she edged past him, careful not to stumble and hoping he wouldn't notice her relief at his arrival. No need for him to see how tired she was.

.

When she reached her room, she made herself sit up on her divan rather than going to bed like she desperately wanted to. If Law was going to pay a visit, she was _not_ going to show any weakness. Just as she predicted, he opened the door sometime later. She held an open sketchbook on her lap as if contemplating what to draw, though she knew she was too tired to lift pencil to paper.

Crossing his arms, he leaned against the doorframe. "I've had words with Temlin. He won't bother you again without my permission."

She nodded, but said nothing.

"The men say you worked hard today."

She cocked an eyebrow. Did they really? Well, wasn't that sweet of them. She was too tired to say it. He looked as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"You didn't complain."

"I've never been much of a complainer."

"Are you hungry?"

There was a mocking feeling behind the question, so she replied "Nope. Not a bit."

"Good, because you're not getting dinner tonight, nor breakfast in the morning. Oh, and you'll be training with the afternoon shift tomorrow as well."

She felt her throat tighten, but she kept an iron grip on her expression, and didn't so much as twitch. Was he trying to _kill_ her?

"Alright."

She wouldn't show any dismay. She knew he was baiting her, waiting for her to crack so she would refuse to follow an order, and he could reinforce the fact that she had no choice, that he was in control. She wasn't going to give him the chance.

The door closed behind him. She collapsed onto the pillows, asleep before the sketchbook slipped from numb fingers and fell to the floor.


	5. Encounters

And now sailing in the New World begins! Thank you to Strawberry Captain and Demon Guard666 for reviewing. Reviews make me happy :) I regret to announce that the next few chapters might take a while, I want to make the New World as realistic as possible, and need to come up with scenario's and locales that are epic enough.

One Piece is the creation of Eiichiro Oda

Close Encounters

30,000 feet below the ocean's choppy waves, deep within a cavern at the base of the great natural barrier, the Red Line, there was a hidden city surrounded by an enormous bubble. This city, known as Fishman Island, was the world's greatest known metropolis for the ocean-dwelling races, and was also a great tourist attraction-for those who were brave enough, or crazy enough, to risk the dangerous journey to the place. It was a double-edged knife, to the people who lived there, that the tourists who brought money and news were, more often than not, pirates. Although often loaded with plenty of gold to spend, they were just as often violent, unpredictable, and uncouth. Oh and bad smelling, too.

Recently there had been a great upheaval in the order of the world, which had included the death of the great pirate Edward Newgate, known to most as "Whitebeard," and considerable destruction to his crew and allies.

Fishman Island, and other islands previously under Whitebeards protection, was thrown into a new atmosphere of doubt and fear. Numerous pirate ships were docked at the underwater city, their crews carousing, drinking, and fighting in the streets with all the reckless abandon of hardened criminals.

.

Inside one ship, or rather, submarine, seated at a large round window, was a seventeen year-old girl. Her pretty face and calm, pale eyes were framed by slightly wavy snow-white hair, most of which was pinned elaborately at the back of her head. She stared out at the gloomy depths, lost in thought.

She spent a great deal of her time quietly thinking. People often thought that she was shy or slow-witted; no one who looked at her would guess that the mind behind those dreamy eyes was subtle, intricate, and wiling away at the complicated problems in her life. She prided herself on that; the ability to get much done with few knowing of it.

Stirring finally, she sighed. Presently, she could find no solution to the complexities her life was currently embroiled in, no matter what angle she attacked them from. Besides that, it was about time for dinner; _hopefully_ the men will have tired of making loud, obnoxious jokes about women who couldn't do as they were told, all the while casting furtive glances in her direction and snickering.

The self-satisfied smirk of _that _man (she hated to dignify his given name with acknowledgment if she could help it) during these proceedings was even worse than the jokes. Shinju, far too stubborn to let anyone know that it bothered her, had born it all with good grace, refusing to be anything but polite and cheerful even when she wanted to punch someone. She vented her temper in the training room. During one such training session, the lanky, sardonic Temlin had chosen to ask her about her peculiar reserved behavior.

"Why'd'ya do this, anyway?" He drawled, watching her and chewing on a toothpick (Law didn't allow smoking in his crew)

"Push ups?" she replied, panting, "Oshemu told me to."

"No, I mean why aren't ya angry? why're ya so shit-nice to everyone? D'ya think we're gonna go easy on ya if yer nice or sumthin'?"

"That's not it. I don't do it so you'll think or feel differently about me. I do it for myself."

"what'd'ya mean, 'for yourself?"

She sighed. "Hate and anger hurt the people who feel them more than who you feel them for. I'm stuck with you guys whether I like it or not. If I spent all my time hating you, I'd be hurting myself, and I've never been a supporter of self-harm in any form. So it has nothing to do with you."

He made a 'tch' sound. "Y'sound like some sort of bookish philosopher. We'll see how long y'can keep up _that_ attitude. We got bets goin' on how long y'll last, y'know. Mine's one more week."

/

She had recently been forgiven for her disobedient behavior on Fishman Island; Law had apparently decided that she had learned her lesson, and was treating her normally. It had been nearly a week, and on her first night of being allowed to join everyone at dinner once again, she had heard a few of the crew asking the captain about his decision to wait before entering the New World.

"Are you sure we should put it off this long, Captain?" Aaron kept his voice politely neutral; it was advisable when daring to question Captain Law. "Blackbeard & his crew have been rampaging there for weeks already, and almost all of the other Supernovas have a head start on us…"

"That's exactly what I want." Law replied laconically, reclining in his special seat at the head of the table. "Let the idiots rush in, attract all the attention, kill each other. It means there'll be less of them _we'll_ have to wade through when we get there." There was a perilous glint in his eye as he grinned. "You can be sure I'll take my place in the New World when the time is right."

"Ooh, I see, excellent idea, Captain!" His crew was, as usual, impressed and admiring of his cool-headed calculations.

Shinju, for her part, although she would never have told him, was just as glad that the man who had made her his captive was not a hothead. The idea of not "wading through" hordes of vicious enemies was one she welcomed wholeheartedly.

/

Leaving her much-used sketchbook at the window seat, she made her way down to the galley to partake in whatever dubious attempt at culinary delight Gale had made that evening. She took a seat next to Bepo; the large fuzzy white bear was fast asleep, snoring loudly and drooling on the table. Even when he was awake he never bothered her like the men did.

"Alright, listen up" Law said when most everyone was finished eating. Shinju nudged Bepo, who awoke with a snort. "I've decided; tomorrow is the day we depart for the New World." A cheer arose from all the men present. "There are some preparations to be made before we leave…"

Shinju quietly set her plate at the counter and left them to their planning.

Working on yet another painting in her room, she thought about where she was headed. Two months ago, when she was safely settled on Sabaody, she couldn't have imagined setting off to the New World with an infamous pirate crew. Fate and fortune had taken over, sweeping her up in events that she couldn't control in the slightest, and now here she was, on her way to the most dangerous place in the world. The place where she might meet her father at last. The odds that they would survive were so slim that she didn't want to think about it; all she could do was trust in Law and his crew. Trust, and get stronger.

/

Shinju clutched the railing of the deck with Aaron, Kenta, Bepo and a few others; they stared out at the sea around them. Law stood somewhat apart from them, a faraway look in his eyes and a devil-may-care smile on his lips. They had arrived—the sea whose dangers and wonders were said to be beyond imagination stretched ahead of them. Somewhere out there was the treasure he sought; the One Piece, and the throne that came with it…

The weather was clear and warm, the sky cloudless and the sea pristine, it was so calm, so peaceful…

Shinju felt a great tension suddenly begin to build up around them, although she couldn't find its source. Looking around with a growing sense of disquiet, she realized that no one else seemed to notice it yet except Bepo, whose fur was standing on end.

"Do you feel it too?" she whispered to him. He nodded, teeth bared. "Maybe you should warn your captain, just in case…"

Law said he'd noticed. Kenta was pacing the deck, he hated being taken unawares. Everyone was scanning the horizon nervously, when Shinju pointed up.

"What's _that?_"

A black dot, small but getting larger, was hovering an indeterminate distance above them. What had been tension was now a full-out force that seemed to be tugging them insistently upwards, like gravity that pulled the wrong way.

"We'd better dive, Captain, that thing's gonna pull us into the sky if we don't!" Kenta shouted. Law nodded, struggling to hold on to his nodachi, which was irresistibly trying to become airborne.

Shinju tried to control her fear as she clung to Bepo's arm, moving slowly towards the door with him. It was hard to walk against the mysterious force. The submarine beneath them groaned and creaked, any minute now it would start rising from the water…Law was the last one in; he hesitated in the doorway, staring curiously at the black sphere in the sky.

"Captain, please! Close the door or we'll get sucked in!" Bepo was the only one who could venture to tell Law what to do without getting a stern reprimand; the bear was so sensitive that scolding him would be fairly pointless anyway.

The engines struggled, the submarine moving sluggishly at first, then gaining speed as they fled further into the depths. Everyone managed to relax once they seemed to be completely free of the incomprehensible object and its power.

"Well that was some welcome" Shinju panted as she leaned against the wall. "I wonder how many ships have been destroyed by that thing. There didn't seem to be any way to fight it…"

"I just wish I knew what it was" Law muttered. His dark face looked slightly regretful.

.

They stayed on high alert after that, surfacing only at designated times. Shinju took as many opportunities as she could to spend time on deck, in the fresh air. Living on a submarine could be maddeningly stifling; she missed being able to see the sun when ever she wanted. Her respite was interrupted one afternoon by the call of one of the crew on watch duty.

"Enemy ship, 2'o'clock!"

Her heart (where-ever it was) leapt with apprehension and she stared out at the direction indicated. The ship was large, and far off but approaching fast. Then there was a distant _boom_, a strange whistling, and the water off the starboard side exploded with a sudden impact. The enemy was already firing.

"Better go hide somewhere, girl" Kenta snapped at her, shoving her aside.

She gave his retreating back a glare, then headed for the control room. It wasn't the safest place, but at least she'd know what was going on. Apparently, the pirates who were attacking them were also fairly new to the New World. They must have thought that they could take the smaller vessel easily. They were about to learn how mistaken they were.

Shinju learned why Law was known for being merciless, as well as why he had DEATH painted on the side of his ship and tattooed on his hand. Before the enemy could get a hit in, they dove. She could imagine how eerie it must have been to those enemies; the vessel they had taken for a normal ship simply vanished. Then _they_ fired, from underwater. As the ship was sinking, they surfaced and boarded her. They took everything worth taking, then departed while it finished sinking. They took no prisoners.

.

The crew was cheery that night; there had been minimal injuries, none of them too serious. Shinju suspected that this was due largely to the fact that Law had entered the fight. She wondered just what was it that he did that so thoroughly defeated enemies; whatever it was, it had to be unpleasant.

The men laughed, joked and talked loudly about their spoils. Shinju stared at her plate and forced herself to eat. That whole vessel of people had died…How could he even _think_ that she'd agree to be a part of something like that?

The pirate captain who was the object of her pertinacious thoughts lounged at the head of the table, smiling nonchalantly. Of course, _he_ didn't have a scratch on him. He was so smugly relaxed that Shinju thought it was a wonder he didn't ooze right out of his chair onto the floor. His eyes were fixed on the white-haired girl who sat rigidly at the other end of the table.

"Would you rather _they _had boarded _us_, Miss Shinju?" his voice carried to her easily.

"I didn't say anything."

"Don't play dumb." His tone was still agreeable. "It would be within your best interests to toughen up a little" He chided. "All this sentimentality won't do you any favors."

Biting back an angry retort, she stood. "Excuse me." She said civilly, and headed for the door.

"Just a moment, Miss Shinju." He was standing as well, leaning against the table and smiling in a way that spelled trouble. "Have you given more thought to the offer I made you on your first night here?"

_Why is he asking about that now?_ "I'm pretty sure I gave you my answer."

She didn't even see him move. One second he was next to the table, looking completely relaxed, and the next, her back was against the door and his face was inches from her own. Her eyes widened in alarm; he hadn't hurt her, but his presence was intense.

"And I'm pretty sure that I wasn't satisfied with your answer." There was a pleasant smile resting on his lips, but his eyes had her pinned like a beetle on a card. It was suddenly peculiarly difficult to breath.

She swallowed hard, steadying her nerves. _He's testing me,_ she realized. Squaring her shoulders, she replied; "I've made my choice, Mr. Trafalgar. The only one who has yet to make a decision is you."

She had effectively cut off any argument, by simply laying her life at his feet. There was no doubt in her eyes. Law stared at her for a few moments, then his smile widened, his eyes no longer so threatening.

"You're too stubborn for your own good, you know." He, at least, knew there was much more behind those pale eyes than most people saw. He touched her face gently, sending a shock through her that she controlled with difficulty. "You might want to consider working on that. Those who don't bend to greater power might end up breaking." She scowled mulishly, and he laughed.

He finally backed away, taking his seat at the table again; the crew, who had been watching avidly, shifted a bit guiltily and continued talking.

Finding she could breathe again, Shinju inhaled deeply and exited with dignity, for the sake of appearances if nothing else. Once outside the door, she wiped sweaty palms on her pants and let out and explosive breath. She could still feel the ghost of his fingers brushing her skin.

_Well, I think I handled that swimmingly._ She told herself. _"Bend to greater power" indeed. Hmph. I'll show him. _And as for his comments on her "sentimentality," well that was just bull. _Being heartless is not the right solution to being sentimental. I can handle my _own_ emotions, thank you very much!_

Thinking such mutinous thoughts, she decided to pay a visit to the training room alone, to do a few dozen push-ups and maybe wail on a punching bag for a while. She wouldn't get stronger by sitting around.

"_Why_ are you so pigheaded?" Aaron asked her exasperatedly, joining her later. Bepo looked curious as well.

"Oh, you know. It adds a certain zest to my life" she replied airily, landing a solid roundhouse kick on the punching bag. Aaron rolled his eyes and sighed.

/

/

It was nearly a week later when they caught sight of the first island on their route of the New World. Shinju was almost painfully excited, but she considered the possibility that Law wouldn't let her come with them, given her disobedience on the last island. She stood a little apart from where he was talking to his crew, making arrangements, and cast him an occasional imploring glance. Should she swallow her pride and just ask if she could come along? Then he turned to her.

"Well, Miss Shinju, what should we do with you?" he tilted his head questioningly. She bit her lip and looked down, trying to keep her eyes from looking too pleading. "If you want to come, you'd better get ready. We'll be there in about half an hour." She smiled radiantly and practically skipped off to her room.

Law chuckled softly. She could be unaccountably endearing; usually when she wanted something.

.

Changed into a red tank-top, rust colored pants and a tan denim half-jacket, Shinju sniffed the enticing scent of land as she walked next to Bepo. The air was crisp; this island was apparently an autumn island. The city which rose up on a slope from the harbor looked lively: night was fast approaching; there were bright lights hung on every building, and it seemed that she could hear music coming from the streets.

Approaching the entrance to town, they saw a large sign that declared, "Welcome to Sem Perayaan, the city of music!"

Aaron grinned; there were bound to be lots of parties and pretty girls in a place like this.

The streets looked old-fashioned; all the buildings were made of wood. There were numerous gardens, taverns, pavilions and houses that were all packed with people; and each locale seemed to hold at least one group of musicians. There were even people playing instruments on the street corners, be it one lone teen with a guitar, or a woman playing three dulcimers at once, somehow without needing to touch any of the strings. Shinju thought it looked like some kind of festival. Did the people here party like this every day? They seemed so happy and carefree. No one appeared to be the least bit perturbed at the presence of pirates; they merely glanced at them curiously, some even calling cheerful greetings.

.

Near the bustling town square, Law directed his steps to a large, expensive-looking eating house. Shinju supposed that they had plenty of money to burn through, considering their recent victory. She'd always heard that pirates spent gold like water.

The atmosphere inside was more subdued than other places they'd seen. They moved to an empty table near the far wall; Shinju was about to sit at the end of the cushioned bench, next to Aaron, but Law hooked an arm around her waist and unceremoniously dumped her in the seat next to him. Less than happy about this development, she scooted a few inches away from him and surveyed the room around her through her eyelashes.

The place was neat and looked high-class; smooth polished wood, cushioned booths and paper-screen partitions with pretty paintings on them shaped the room. Round paper lanterns shed a dim yellow light, making the patrons look slightly mysterious.

A waitress, wearing a gold colored kimono and with her black hair elaborately styled, silently poured them all drinks, lay down menus, and departed. Shinju picked up her little porcelain cup and sniffed it suspiciously: rice wine. She took a cautious sip, then made a face and set it back on the table. She heard Law chuckle quietly next to her.

He was, as usual, reclining at his ease, one leg crossed over the other, looking as smug as if he owned the establishment; Bepo was holding on to his nodachi for him. Casually, he moved his arm from the back of the seat to drape it around Shinju's shoulders. Scowling deeply, she shrugged him off, only for him to slide his arm around her waist. Shooting him an irritated glance, she saw that the corner of his mouth was turned up in a smirk; he seemed to be holding back a laugh, and the guys were hiding grins as well. When she heard one of them snicker at her expression, she instantly made her face smooth, picking up her menu and perusing it as if nothing had happened.

She ordered something simple, and it was delicious, but her enjoyment was somewhat marred by the presence sitting next to her. She kept her features unconcerned, but she held herself stiffly and was silently fuming.

_That jackass. _She groused._ I am _not _going to let him ruin my stay here._

Law, apparently bored of her lack of reaction, shifted one finger to the inch of bare skin between her tank-top and waistband, and stroked it gently, as if polishing something.

_That _does_ it! _She slammed a fist on the table. That was going _way_ too far with this little game as far as she was concerned!

"Something the matter, Miss Shinju?" He asked mildly. His mocking voice was full of suppressed mirth.

She forced a smile onto her face. "Not at all, _Mr._ Trafalgar. In fact"—her hand closed discreetly around her full cup of wine—"why don't we have a toast?" She threw the contents full in his face, then leapt over the back of the seat, shoved open the sliding, paper-screen window and pulled herself up onto the roof by the low-hanging eave.

A few of his crew stood up, looking outraged. "Should we go after her, Captain?" They relaxed a little when they saw that he was still smiling.

"No, she hasn't gone far. I suppose I should've expected that." He said wryly, drying his face with a napkin.

When the waitress approached to present the bill, there seemed to be a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

.

.

As the group exited the restaurant, Shinju dropped from the roof to land next to them. Law raised an eyebrow at her arrival.

"I see you've chosen to rejoin us."

Her expression was totally unapologetic as she glared at him.

"Punish me if you will, but you completely deserved that. I am _not_ dinnertime entertainment, and if you plan on acting like I'm your _woman,_ you can expect me to be uncooperative."

Several of the crew frowned at her tone, but Law looked quite unperturbed.

"Consider me chastised, Miss Shinju. We're splitting up now. You can stick with Aaron and Kenta. Oh and Shinju"—his expression became more serious—"stay out of trouble."

"Right." She said tersely. Then her expression brightened at the prospect of exploring this fun-looking city.

"I bet there'll be dancing girls!" Aaron predicted eagerly.

"It would be better if they were dancing bears…" Bepo stated.

"Shut up, Bepo!"

/

Shinju wished the two men would slow down so she could listen to some of the musicians they passed. There was a handsome young man with long dark hair, playing a strange tube-like wind instrument, a group of four performing on large drums in perfect rhythm with each other, a beautiful red-haired woman playing a large harp…

In the town square, Aaron and Kenta grinned as they spotted the much-anticipated group of dancing girls. They were indeed very beautiful, and had a large crowd of (male) admirers, but Shinju, understandably, was not nearly as interested in them as everyone else. The two pirates shouldered their way forward to get a closer look; Shinju hung back, letting her eyes wander around the square.

She was wondering if the people around here stayed up all night, when someone rested a hand gently on her shoulder. She looked up into a mans face; he was plain looking, middle-aged, with short brown hair and wearing a travel-stained cloak and a friendly smile.

"You're just as radiant as he described you."

_What?_

"It's about time you arrived in the New World"

What was he talking about? He seemed to recognize her. She didn't sense any threat from him. _Maybe he's just flirting with me._ She thought uncomfortably. _I'll just ignore him…_

Turning, she was about to walk away when he leaned down and whispered, "—Azriel's daughter."

Shock coursed through her. She spun on her heel-only to see him grin, then melt into the crowd.

"W-wait, wait!" Completely forgetting Aaron and Kenta, She dove into the throng of people, shoving them aside as she tried to keep up with the man…but no matter how fast she ran, he stayed far ahead of her…Turning round a corner, she lost sight of him entirely.

Peering into an ally, she wondered if he'd dodged off to the side…but no, there was no sign of him. She stood for a few moments; the exhilaration that had flooded her was fast turning into frustration and bitter, cutting disappointment. But gradually, she pushed back the emotions, and then became aware that something was wrong.

There was the presence of someone in the shadows of the ally to her left. The presence emanating from that darkness was unlike any she'd known before, and it was terrible. If Hearts could have a scent, this one would smell like blood, and fire. Then a voice spoke from the shadows.

"You seem familiar, girl." The man that the voice belonged to emerged and leaned against a wall, his eyes examining her.

He was large and muscular, wearing a long dark captains coat that appeared to be made of fur, yellow and black marble-spotted pants, and tall sea-boots. His hair, she could tell even in the dark, was vivid red, the wild spikes held back by metal-studded goggles. His wide, red-lipped mouth was stretched in a sinister grin under fierce orange eyes.

"Now where have I seen you before…"

Her mouth felt paper-dry, and she was clenching her fists to keep them from trembling. His eye fell on the collar around her neck.

"Ah, that's right; you're the plucky wench that Trafalgar bought."

"Bid on, actually" she corrected. "I actually escaped from the auction, but he found me later and captured me, not that it was easy or anything"—_stop babbling._ She snapped at herself.

"Is that so? Well, you'll give him my regards, wont you?"

She swallowed. "Sure." Was he letting her go now?

His grin was positively evil as he replied "Good girl."

She didn't see his hand move-it was to fast. There was a shockingly loud report that echoed off the walls around them.

"C'mon, Killer." He said to the shadows behind him. "We've wasted enough time on this boring island."

Her legs, for some reason weak, folded, and she didn't see him walk away as her knees hit the ground. There was a deep wrongness in her chest, even worse than the agony, something so awful that she wanted to close her eyes and pretend it wasn't there.

She didn't understand; her mind struggled to grasp an answer that she was afraid to know. A hot, sticky wetness was spreading over her shirt, right over the spot where her heart _should_ be.

_He shot me._ Realizing it was like trying to swim through mud. One more thought managed to surface in her numbed brain. _I have to get to Law._

_/_

He strolled carelessly down the street; his eyes and senses taking in every detail around him, one hand resting his nodachi against his shoulder and the other tucked in his pocket. Suddenly he heard one of his crew calling him—and he froze, then spun around when he realized there was panic in the bears voice. His expression hardened at the sight of the blood-covered girl in Bepo's arms, his hand tightening on his sword till the knuckles stood out white.

_What the hell?_

/

/

Shinju awoke in the early hours of the morning, feeling vaguely dazed. She was lying in the infirmary, her chest practically cocooned in bandages, strange tubes stuck to her arms, and her body feeling oddly numb. Law sat in a chair next to her, apparently deep in silent thought, but he wasn't silent for long once he realized she was awake.

Coldly containing himself when she haltingly told her story (leaving out the mysterious man-she just happened to wander towards a dark ally) he then told her—at length—exactly what he thought of "this nonsense," emphasizing his frequent oaths with angry gesticulations. Whatever mysterious medical procedure he had used to keep her from dying had left her blood spattered morbidly on his hands and the front of his shirt.

"For_ heavens _sake!" He paced the room, scowling and gritting his teeth. She'd never seen him this agitated before. "All I ask is that you behave, and you go and walk straight into the most dangerous man on the damned island—besides me-is it to much to ask that you _not _get into trouble as soon as I have my back turned?"

"I didn't do it on purpose" she protested weakly. "I don't _like_ getting shot you know. And besides,"—she continued accusingly—"I never used to get into this much trouble until _you_ came along."

"Oh really?" he crossed his arms. "What about getting caught by slavers?"

"A simple error of judgment. Could've happened to anyone."

He made an ungracious noise that sounded like "Pff."

Eventually he declared that she needed rest, having lost too much blood, and asked with biting sarcasm if she could keep out of trouble after he left the room, adding that if she couldn't he'd seriously consider keeping her on a leash. He shut the door a little harder than necessary on the way out.

.

_Well, isn't he in a snippy mood today. Meditation would be good for him. Maybe I'll mention it when he comes back._ She was feeling giddily perky, after narrowly escaping death. She sighed a little though. It was going to take weeks to heal.

Getting shot sure did suck.


	6. The Storm and What Came of It

The Storm and What Came of It

Glancing at the door to make sure Law was not about to enter, Shinju loosened the bandages wrapping her chest and itched the healing skin underneath. If _he_ saw, he would have scolded her for the umpteenth time, but she just couldn't _stand_ it. Knowing very little medical knowledge, and having little trust in doctors ( let alone ones that were dubbed "Surgeon of Death") she couldn't imagine that it would do all_that_much harm to disobey his orders and mess with the bandages a bit. As long as he wasn't looking, that is.

It had been only two weeks since she'd been shot by none other than Eustass "Captain" Kid, the most dangerous of the rookie pirates known as the eleven Supernovas. He had no doubt meant it as an arrogant jab at his rival, Law, and Law was in turn furious that the bastard had left without even giving him the opportunity to respond.

Shinju, for her part, didn't care about feuding pirates, but was absolutely disgusted with having to remain in the infirmary, confined to a hard, narrow little bed, while the others were out partying in the music-filled streets and taverns of Sem Perayaan. Law's 'it-serves-you-right' attitude wasn't helping either.

Once, overcome with impatience after two weeks (the log-pose would set in three), she tip-toed out of the infirmary and almost made it to the deck, only to run right into Law coming back from town.

"What are you doing here?"

She knew from how his body was suddenly still, how he fixed narrowed eyes on her with his full undivided attention that she was in trouble, and that it was probably time for some fast talking.

"I'm, um, exercising. You know—for my health."

The cold, I'm-totally-not-amused smile he was wearing as he stalked towards her was evidence enough that her excuse had been unsuccessful.

"If you don't get back to the infirmary, I'm going to injure you so bad that you won't be able to move at all."

She made a petulant face, mostly to disguise her unease at the situation. Sure, he made such morbid threats all the time, but in such a way that it was hard to tell when he was joking and when he wasn't.

"That seems rather counter-productive" She quipped.

In response he showed his teeth in a tight grin then took hold of one of her ears between a thumb and forefinger; she winced and hissed through clenched teeth as his nails dug deep into cartilage. He didn't let go until she was back in the infirmary, her eyes watering and her ear bleeding slightly as she muttered under her breath about insane psychopath doctors. He didn't spare her another glance as he left, locking the door behind him. And so she prudently decided to give up on that pursuit and resigned herself to the fact that she must endure the boredom of bed rest.

Her time wasn't completely wasted, though; during Law's treatment of her, and especially since his outburst upon her awakening, she had come across a piece of information that had made her practically squirm with self-satisfied smugness. His little fit had proven that, as she had first suspected, his cold, cruel, threatening demeanor was, by and large, only an outer-shell of his personality. He had since kept firm control of his emotions, but she had seen his Heart, and the "damage" had been done.

Eyes sparkling mischievously, she took great delight in subtly teasing and annoying him; trying, and sometimes succeeding, to draw out flashes of true emotion from behind his carefully maintained mask. Whenever he glared at her with particular ferocity, she would lower her eyes demurely, smile sweetly, and change the subject. She could always tell just where to draw the line—she always knew, no matter how convincingly he pretended to be cold and aloof, that she was often driving him crazy. She derived great satisfaction from that, and justified it to herself in that, after all, _she_ had to deal with drinking the awful-tasting medicines he made and listening to his comments on her inability to behave herself.

"but I _like_ my inability to behave myself, Trafalgar-san. It adds to my personal charm, don't you think?"

"…*_glare_*…"

The days when she had spent so much time and energy hiding her own emotions and being unfailingly polite were drawing to a close: she had always been the type to speak her mind, and not doing so had been too much work—not that she was going to risk having an actual confrontation with him, not if she could help it. It wasn't nearly time for that—she wasn't strong enough yet. Nonetheless, she could tell, although she wouldn't admit it to herself, that her new openness was in part due to the fact that she was becoming more comfortable with her new home and the people around her.

Most of the crew was not unhappy at the delay she caused, as it gave them plenty of time to have fun in town, although they were careful not to be too cheerful around their bad-tempered captain. Aaron and Bepo sometimes poked in to see how she was doing ("are you healed _now_, Shinju?" Bepo would always ask. He wasn't all that interested in Sem Perayaan—there were no dancing bears) and the quiet, somewhat reclusive Neal was glad to learn that she was good at chess. None of the crew were skilled enough for a good game, and the captain was often either too busy or too out-of-sorts. Of course, everyone knew whose fault _that_ was, but no one said anything. After all, things _were_ more interesting since she came along.

.

.

Exiting the galley after giving Gale the order to bring Shinju her evening meal, Law propped his nodachi against his chair and lounged back with his hands behind his head, stretching his long legs so that his boots rested on the table. The room was silent; his crew was in town, those who weren't were on watch duty. He had a headache. He was so irritated with that ridiculous girl, he half wanted to deny her her food, just to punish her, but, being a doctor, he could see that that wasn't such a good idea if he ever wanted her to get well. He was also avoiding her, which made him even crosser.

Somewhere in that obscure, female little mind of hers, she had decided to replace being dignified and mulish to being cute and irritating_and_ mulish. And contrary. And he had thought she was difficult _before_. She was obviously having great fun with it. It would not have been terribly difficult to ignore, if it weren't for the fact that there was often a secret laugh in her eyes when she looked at him; as if she could see significant and amusing secrets that were somehow out of his scope. It made him want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she told him just what the hell was so damn funny.

He couldn't count how many times she managed to intrigue him, annoy him, surprise him. Just when he though he had her figured out she would change, or do something he didn't expect. And through it all, her will to refuse to join his crew of her own choice remained adamant. This stubborn obstinacy only increased his determination to see her join—he had sworn to himself, when he became a pirate, that he would never take orders from anyone, and that no one, _no__one_ would stop him from having something he wanted. This _girl_ would have to give in eventually. She'd better be grateful to him for being so patient.

He had come to realize that she was more cunning than he had first suspected; she had excellent control over her emotions, for one thing. When he had first brought her here, he had expected her to rage and struggle and rebel, displaying the fierceness he had seen in her eyes at the human auction house. That fierceness was still there when she looked at him, but it was subdued, a fire behind a veil. She had accepted her condition with unnerving meekness. He _knew_ she must be plotting something…but it didn't matter. Only he could return her heart to her; she could never escape while he had it in his possession. Nevertheless, he found it frustrating that she could so easily hide what went on behind those pale eyes of hers, leaving him to guess and wonder, and yet when she turned her gaze on him, it was as if she knew his every emotion…

Rubbing his forehead, he tried to think of other things. She'd been occupying his thoughts more than enough lately…

.

"Fiiiinally!" Shinju hopped down from the infirmary bed, stretching dramatically and smiling. The bandages were off, and all she had to show for a once grave injury was a small round scar.

"It would have healed faster if you hadn't fidgeted so much." Law was washing his hands in the metal sink.

"Hmm." She blinked innocently, still smiling. He'd been short with her for a while now, she paid it no mind.

Drying his hands, he turned to her, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Now, listen. I'm going to allow you to carry one of your daggers with you at all times, but you won't need it because you _won__'__t_ be going anywhere unescorted. And as far as your health is concerned, you might feel fine, but you're not fully healed. Don't overexert yourself."

"And how much exertion is overexertion, Mr. Doctor?" She asked airily, grinning.

"Just do as I say. If you don't I will lock you in here for another week."

"Surely you don't think I'd even _dream_ of disobeying you?"

There was a knock on the door, cutting off his reply.

"Enter."

It was Bepo.

"Captain, everything's ready." He spotted Shinju. "Are you finally better now?"

"Tell the crew we depart immediately."

"Aye, Captain!" The bear hurried off. Shinju followed him, glad to be setting out at last. On this island, she had heard a whisper of her father…maybe on the next one, she would meet him.

.

Her excitement soon turned to anxiety as sailing in the New World became more and more perilous. Almost daily they ran into freak storms, cyclones, sea-kings, whirlpools and strange currents that were difficult and dangerous to navigate. Once they even hit an invisible barrier that blocked their path; they found a way around it, but never did discover what it was. It was incredible that there were those who lived on this sea—just surviving from one day to the next was as much as they could take.

The pace began to tell on the crew, who were tired and nervous. Law was as inscrutable as ever. Shinju, remembering how he had once mockingly said that she could go and hide, refused to do so; she faced every danger in front of the large window in the control room, listening to Kenta bark orders as Neal, silent and sweaty-faced, chose the best routes through the obstacles in their way. The combined skill of the crew, confidence of the captain and hardiness of their submarine saw them through each trial.

.

.

It was a cold, overcast morning when Shinju slipped out onto the deck during one of their brief periods on the surface. Law was already there, enjoying the fresh air as much as she was.

She hugged her sweater closer to herself, shivering slightly and looking up at the sky to see little flecks of white drift silently down. Snow. She smiled, she'd never seen it before; at her first home it grew cold in winter but there was only precipitation in spring, on Sabaody the climate was the same year round. She wondered, without knowing where the thought came from, if the snow reminded Law of his home in North Blue.

He looked over at the girl in time to see her stick out her tongue and catch a snowflake, grinning like a small child and oblivious of him watching her. It almost brought a smile to his face.

Suddenly, the wind changed, it was…_warm_. Oh, _shit._

"Shinju, get back inside!" His voice was tense. She turned to him quickly, startled.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Just get inside _now!_"

There was a few seconds in which the clouds above them darkened. Then the storm hit.

It was as if the sea around them exploded. Lightning flashed and hissed through the air, striking the water, and the thunder was deafening. The rain came down in sheets that Shinju could barely see through, driven by wind that almost blew her off her feet and tore at the sails, making the ship careen crazily, rocking from side to side as huge waves swelled around them. She made it to the rail, clinging for dear life and wishing with all her might that it would stop.

Law was making his way towards her; he was shouting something but she couldn't hear a word over the roar of the sea. Then there was an almighty _crash;_ a wave had rammed them against a rock that jutted out of the ocean like a craggy tooth, a killer of ships…

She was the only one who saw what happened to Law, and she reacted without thinking.

.

"Captain?" Martino and Aaron forced the door open against the wind, Bepo peering worryingly over their shoulders. Law and Shinju should have come in by now…

"Shit, where _are_ they!" Aaron shouted over the noise, holding his hat on his head with one hand and hanging on to the doorframe with the other. Then he saw his captain's nodachi, lying on the deck, pressed against the rails. He would never have let it go, unless…_Oh__no.__No,__no,__NO!__This__can__'__t__be__happening!_

_._

The world had turned into raging, churning water. Shinju clung to him with all her strength, their heads just barely above the waves enough for them to breath.

She had watched, helpless, as the impact with the rock had sent him overboard. By sheer providence, one of the life buoys that were tied at intervals along the ship was right next to her. Slashing the rope that bound it, she flung herself into the sea after him, knowing that if someone didn't save him, he would die: she'd heard the stories of the cursed fruits that made those who used their powers unable to swim.

Unable to swim was an understatement. He didn't have the strength to move even a single finger. His head rested on her shoulder as she wrapped the piece of rope that was still attached to the buoy closely around them both, clutching his hat in her other hand—pirates could be ridiculously fond of their hats. She could never have imagined him being so weak and vulnerable. It felt to her like there was some unnamable force, almost a presence, beneath them, that hungered to pull him into the depths.

_Well,__you__can__'__t__have__him._ She thought stubbornly, gritting her teeth and spitting out seawater as she fought against the waves. _There__'__s__something__he__has__to__return__to__me.__And__even__if__there__wasn__'__t,__I__…__I__don__'__t__want__him__to__die__…_

Without warning, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. It was like waking from a nightmare; the rain slackened, then ceased, the clouds started to disperse as rays of sunlight peeked through.

"I—I don't believe it!" She cried joyously, half laughing. Then, suddenly worried, she looked closely at the pirate captain draped limply against her shoulder, seeing with relief that his eyes were half-open, peering sideways at her, a small smile curving his mouth. His breathing was shallow and faint, but at least he _was_ breathing.

New worry swamped her as she looked frantically around. Being alive wouldn't last long if they couldn't get back to the ship, she didn't have the strength to hold on to him for much longer…With another leap of joy, she saw sunlight strike off metal in the distance; the metal hull of Law's submarine.

"I can see it; they're not too far away!" She panted "If Kenta's got his binoculars out they'll spot us in no time!" At least she hoped so. Law said nothing. He could only trust her.

.

.

"C-captain! You're alright!"

Aaron, Kenta, Bepo, Martino, Gale and Jean Bart stood in a half-circle around the two sopping wet figures, most of them practically sobbing with relief at seeing that their captain was safe. Martino had descended at the end of a rope and grabbed on to Law, Jean Bart pulling them up. Aaron had retrieved Shinju. They both slumped onto the deck, panting and shivering.

Law looked at her once he'd caught his breath, his face serious.

"I believe, Miss Shinju, that I told you not to overexert yourself."

"_What!_" She could only gape in disbelief.

He suddenly grinned at her, and she realized that, for the first time, there was only humor in his smile, rather than the smug, threatening coldness he usually displayed. The sunlight gleamed off his white teeth and the small gold hoop earrings in each ear, and his coal-black hair was matted with seawater and stuck up in all directions. He looked different without his hat.

"I suppose I'll forgive you for disobeying me just this once. I don't do that often so you'd better be grateful."

"Gee, thanks. You're so merciful." She rolled her eyes and shoved his hat into his hands. She was half-conscious of the fierce, unexplainable possessiveness that had flared in her Heart when she had been holding him above the waves, and now she felt embarrassed by it. She didn't want to think about it, it was too confusing.

Bepo silently handed him his oversized sword. Gripping it tight, he stood slowly, then helped Shinju to her feet.

"Well, men," he said, looking around at the pirates who were watching him anxiously, "I think we'd better assess the damage. And then perhaps a little celebration is in order."

"Aye, Captain!" they cheered, grinning.

.

.

Oshemu stood to attention and reported the damage done during the storm. His brother, Oremu, and the men who worked with the two mechanics were still making repairs and patching up leaks. The damage was serious—they wouldn't be able to submerge until it was fixed. It would be best if they could dock while the men were working—they were very vulnerable in the open sea right now.

Law listened gravely, and then posted men to be on the lookout for land—any land. The storm had blown them off course, and it was possible that they might find an island that wasn't on their fixed route.

Meanwhile, the news of what had happened traveled fast, and everyone knew what Shinju had done. She felt like she couldn't walk five steps without someone patting her on the back and thanking her, no matter how many times she protested that she'd just been following her instincts and that she hadn't even thought about what she was doing. They insisted on having a toast to her when Law declared that sakè was allowed today—the crew normally did not drink while they were at sea.

Their attitude towards her changed considerably; before, with perhaps the exception of Aaron and Bepo, they had merely tolerated her presence as it was, after all, the Captain's will. Now they included her in their jokes and conversations, and listened when she talked. Even Kenta managed a smile. She was secretly aglow inside at this newfound camaraderie, and felt much less lonely than she had been.

Law watched her over his own cup of sakè as she sat at the table smiling, an undecipherable expression in his grey eyes.

.

It was afternoon when Vash came in hurriedly from on deck, reporting that he had seen land. The log-pose wasn't pointing to it, but if they only stayed there long enough to finish the repairs, it shouldn't do any harm…

.

The island was fairly small; one large volcano rose from its center, emitting huge, round clouds of vivid green smoke. The surrounding forest was dense and tropical, and the screeching calls and chirps of birds, insects, frogs and other nameless creatures was almost deafening.

Shinju walked along the bright beach, wearing a white sundress tied at the waist to keep the hem out of the water as she occasionally bent to pick up an interesting shell or stone. Law and a small group of Heart pirates stood a ways behind her, talking and giving the mechanics a chance to work unhindered. Oremu and Oshemu had assured their captain that they would need only one day to complete the repairs.

Meandering a bit further down the beach, Shinju came to a stream that emptied into the ocean. She was crouching at the edge, staring at the fish swimming just below the surface, when Aaron approached her, followed by Kenta, who, not long ago, would have gone out of his way to avoid her.

"Captain says you're not to go too far away." Aaron informed her.

"Did he say how far was too far?"

"Uh, well, no, but"—

"Excellent. Don't you want to find out where this goes?" She asked, pointing downstream, which led into the forest. Without waiting for a reply, she set off cheerfully, hopping from one large rock to another.

"Hey, wait—we're supposed to keep an eye on you!"

"Then I guess you'd better follow then, shouldn't you?" She laughed, not slowing down in the slightest. This place was beautiful; she couldn't wait to paint it later.

Aaron and Kenta exchanged an exasperated glance, then helplessly followed the girl. She only barely obeyed Law; she wasn't going to listen to them. They knew from training that she was learning to land a mean punch, and Aaron knew from experience that she could bite very hard: he still had the marks from when they were first trying to capture her back on Sabaody. Carrying her back was an unpleasant option…well, as long as they didn't go far…

It was only a short way into the forest when she stopped at a place where the stream tumbled over a small waterfall, filling a deep pool that was crystal-clear and sheltered by the surrounding trees. She looked appraisingly at it for a few moments, then clapped her hands together in a businesslike way, smiling.

"Perfect. This place will work nicely. Now you two—bugger off."

"…What?"

"I'm going to take a bath." She said, absently stripping off her shoes.

"But, you can bathe on the sub! You have your own bathroom for heavens sake"—

"—I want to bathe here. Why don't you keep watch? And no peeking!" She tugged at the collar of her dress, obviously preparing to remove it.

Kenta turned on his heel, his face flushed, and stomped off into the shrubbery muttering curses. Aaron followed, grinning. She certainly knew how to get what she wanted; they _couldn__'__t_ watch her bathe, she was off limits—he thought of his captain with a small shudder—_way_ off limits, and they couldn't leave, having been ordered to protect her.

.

Shinju dived in and swam back and forth a few times. The temperature was perfect. She floated contentedly, her long hair fanning out around her head, dappled sunlight warming her skin. She hadn't felt this peaceful and relaxed in a long time…

.

About ten yards away, the two disgruntled pirates leaned against the trunk of a large tree. Kenta swatted angrily at an insect that was buzzing around his head.

"I don't believe this" he grumbled. "She saves the Captains life and then suddenly she's little miss bossy."

"She'd probably act this way even if she hadn't saved the Captains life" Aaron amended. Then a sly look crossed his face, and he glanced sideways at his friend. "You know…Captain _said_we had to watch over her…and she's all alone over there…what if something snuck up on her?"

Kenta glanced around nervously, "are you thinking…?"

A wicked grin broke across Aarons face, and he rose quietly. "It would be irresponsible of us _not_ to keep an eye on her, wouldn't you agree? Considering her safety, of course."

Kenta grinned in spite of himself. She _was_ a pretty little thing, after all, and as long as she didn't find out… "You might be right" he admitted, also rising stealthily. "Maybe we should check on her…"

They were creeping closer to the pool when there was a whizzing noise, then a _thunk_ as a twelve-inch, turquoise-colored knife flew towards them and lodged in a tree inches from Aaron's face.

"What the—_holy__crap!_" he stumbled back. "Are you trying to _kill_ us!" he shouted in the direction of the pool.

"I told you not to peek." she called back. "I've got more knives over here!"

The two pirates sat back down in disgust.

.

Rolling her eyes, she reemerged into the pool. She actually _didn__'__t_ have more knives with her—but they didn't need to know that. Something shiny caught her eye at the pebble-covered bottom of the pool. Diving down, she grabbed it and examined it in the sunlight. Bringing the small object to her teeth, she bit it, then looked at it again. A smile spread across her face. Diving back down, she searched around 'til she found another, and then another—finally she surfaced with a small handful of the little objects. None were bigger than one of her thumbnails.

Swimming over to where her clothes rested at the edge of the pool, she stuffed the handful of shiny little things into a pocket of her dress.

Hearing a twig snap behind her, she swiveled around to see a creature emerging from the woods at the far end of the pool. It had four legs and hooves; its coat was shaggy and dark purple, it had a long tail and, strangely, catlike eyes set forward in its skull. It caught sight of her and stopped, ears flattened to its head.

She stared back at it for a few seconds, and then had an idea. Summoning up a feeling of calm, she reached out with it and touched the presence of the creature. After a moment, its ears relaxed, and it continued to the pool to drink calmly, then turned and trotted back into the forest.

She watched it go breathlessly. Nothing like that would have worked on a person, but animals could feel things people could not…

Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice shouted "Are you _done_ yet?"

She sighed. "I'm getting out right now!" she replied.

.

Shadows were starting to lengthen at the edge of the forest as they made their way back towards the submarine. Aaron and Kenta were arguing about something—Shinju wasn't paying attention to what—and they were almost there when there was a loud rustling and something stepped out of the trees, standing between them and their destination.

It was a tiger. An _enormous_ tiger.

"Shinju—get back!" The two pirates immediately stood in front of her, putting themselves between her and the threat. But she was seized by a sudden inspiration.

.

Hearing the loud snarls, Law turned towards the noise to see the huge tiger confronted by two of his men. The beast was prancing around, tossing its head in an attempt to shake off something that was clinging to its fur…something that looked like…Of course. He should have known. _God__damn__it._

He strode towards the scene, his expression like a thundercloud. "What do you think you're _doing_"—he stopped mid-sentence, a half-startled, half-calculating look crossing his features as he saw the great beast slowly quiet under her control, its shoulders shaking slightly and its eyes wide.

.

She hung on with all her strength. She had done what she did before at the pool—only this time, she forced her will into it. Gripping its fur tight, she leaned towards the tiger's ear.

"Let's _run,_ shall we?" She whispered. It hesitated for a moment, then sprang into the forest.

"I'll be back before dark!" she called over her shoulder, grinning, to the thunderstruck pirates she left behind on the beach.

.

Ah, freedom! She felt more exhilaration than she'd ever experienced before; as the forest rushed by on either side and the powerful, beautiful, terrible beast moved under her, she felt all her worries and burdens melt away…the pirates didn't exist, nothing existed but her and the tiger…

She'd been riding a few minutes, when a strange sound met her ears…

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyy!"

It was a human voice! And it was getting closer…turning, she saw something flying towards her.

It landed right next to her. Her mouth fell open.

A boy—or young man, rather, wearing black, fur-lined shorts, a black vest, and a straw hat.

Strawhat Luffy, captain of the infamous Strawhat Pirates, was sitting right beside her.

He looked at her, a wide grin splitting his face. "Hi! Is this your tiger? Do you live on this island?"

She was almost too overwhelmed to speak. His _Heart__…_if everyone else were stars, this guy was a _sun_. His smile was so catching that she almost found herself smiling, too. Then she remembered that he'd asked her a question.

"N-no, I don't live here, I'm a traveler"—there was no need to tell him about her situation—"I'm just riding this tiger for fun." He didn't seem to notice the collar around her neck. He wasn't to smart, was he?

"Cool. I'm a pirate." He said unnecessarily. He pointed to the coast, and she saw an unfamiliar ship anchored there. "That's my ship." He grinned again. "Wanna join us for dinner? Sanji makes eeeeexcellent food! Seriously it's the best!"

Her eyes widened. Oh god, what Law would say if he knew…she resolved never to mention this, ever. "I'm afraid I can't." She said carefully. "I've got other things to do. Sorry, I'd really like to…" She really would.

"Aw, too bad. Well, I gotta go, see ya!" Grasping a distant tree with an arm that stretched like rubber, he shot off towards his ship.

Shinju suddenly decided to go back to the submarine. She didn't know if she could take any more excitement today.

.

.

The sun had set when the tiger reappeared at the beach. Law watched the girl dismount. The beast shook itself tiredly, then bounded back into the forest.

The angry words that he was about to say died on his lips when he saw her face. Her hair was windswept and tangled, and her expression held a fierce, blazing, wild joy that made her suddenly look incredibly beautiful, and not at all like the child he usually thought she was.

"Did you see anyone?" He asked as she approached.

"I didn't see any settlements of any kind." She said smoothly. "I guess this island is uninhabited." She didn't want Law and Strawhat Luffy to get in a confrontation. Besides the fact that she didn't like fighting…she _liked_ Strawhat, he was just so, well, _likeable._

He nodded, then returned to where his men had set up a small camp.

.

"What exactly were the three of you doing before, anyway?" he asked Aaron quietly. Aaron made a face.

"She wanted to take a bath in this forest pool she found…"

"Ah." He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "And did you see anything…interesting?"

His crewman swallowed, wondering if there was more to the question than idle amusement. "Nope. She threatened us with death by stabbing if we came near."

Law chuckled, breaking the slight tension. They both looked over at the girl. She was at the edge of the forest, catching fireflies. Jumping slightly, she reached up and grabbed one of the glowing bugs with both hands. She brought it close to her face, and its yellow light illuminated her smile before it flew away.

She turned when Law approached her. He stood silently for a while, then said, "I didn't thank you before, for saving my life." She looked at his shadowy face and said nothing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He walked away. Hesitating only a moment, she followed him to join the others round the fire.


	7. In the City of 1000 Gods

Hello lovely people, updating from the library here. Thank you xXFireFIstAceXx, 4shadowedice4, Msaju17, Razamataz22, hoshiko, and MoonyMoonsault for reviewing. And hoshiko; her home island was close to Sabaody, so she never saw any other islands :)

This chapter contains a quote from Dr. House. See if you can find it.

One Piece is the creation of Eiichiro Oda

.

In the City of 1000 Gods

Shinju gripped the rail of the deck, warmed by the noonday sun and smiling as she breathed the fresh sea air. The weather had stabilized a few hours ago—they were undoubtedly approaching an island. Gulls circled and wheeled overhead, screeching their harsh calls in wonder at this yellow metal craft that had so startlingly emerged from the sea.

Only a few days ago, the submarine of the Heart Pirates had been damaged in a storm, but she was fully repaired now, and in top fighting form. Traveling in a damaged craft was asking for death in any sea—particularly this one. Just the other day they had engaged an enemy pirate ship in combat; Law had asked Shinju if she'd wanted to join, smiling that dark smile of his and knowing what the answer would be. With clenched teeth and flashing eyes, she had refused to have anything to do with it—she felt very strongly about piracy, and especially about Law's ruthless methods that left none of his enemies alive, as far as she could tell.

When she wasn't fuming about the dubious lifestyle of her companions, however, she didn't mind their company. She'd learned how to throw dice and play cards (she was a natural at poker) and every day she felt her body getting stronger in combat raining. She didn't realize it, but she was already much stronger and more skilled than a normal person—to bad normal people were few and far between in the New World.

Squinting into the distance, Shinju was sure she saw something up ahead…

"Island in sight! Land ho!" the watchman cried. Shinju waited, excited, as the word was passed round.

.

Law had come on deck; he sauntered over to lean against the rail beside her. They both gazed in the direction of the port city. Far behind it, but seeming closer because of their enormous size, snow-capped mountains reared majestically. This island was a large one. They could see spires, towers, and domes of the city, golden in the slanting rays of the hot sun, and the bright serpentine line of a great river running through its center.

Getting a better look at the city, Shinju's face suddenly looked awestruck.

"No, I can't believe it, it _can't_ be…" She muttered to herself. Law looked at her curiously.

"What is it, Miss Shinju?"

"Kenta, can I borrow your binoculars?"

"Wha—hey!"

"—Thanks" she tugged them out of the passing mans hands, ignoring his protests, and squinted through them eagerly. Then she gasped, a hand going to her mouth. "Oh my god, it really is…"

"Is _what?_" Law asked impatiently.

"This city"—she could hardly hold still from excitement—"my father used to _live_ here, before I was born, he studied with the monks here, it was one of his favorite places. That tall building there"—she pointed to a huge domed roof in the center of the mass of buildings—"he had a drawing of it he used to show me. It's the great temple. I used to hear so many stories about this place!"

"Temple?" Kenta asked, grabbing his binoculars from her and pressing them to his eyes, only to have his captain claim them and use them himself before he could get a good look. "Are the people here really religious or something?"

"More than a thousand gods are worshiped in the city of Sadhana alone; the religion itself has uncounted numbers of gods. This is the land where Siddhartha was born, you know—where he became Buddha." Kenta looked doubtful of this fact.

"Well, it sound like you'll be able to tell us a lot about this place, Shinju." Law said, smiling. "Kenta"—he shoved his crewman's binoculars back into his hands—"tell the others we depart."

"Aye, Captain…"

.

.

The hulking form of Jean Bart cut a wide swath through the crowded street, giving the pirates and Shinju plenty of space. Shinju felt that she was walking through one of her childhood fairy-tales. Enthusiastically, she pointed out everything she recognized and explained them to anyone who would listen, namely Law and Aaron. Bepo had remained on the ship this time: the heat of this place was not good for a bear who came from the far north.

"This must be the temple district for the poorer folk—see there"—she pointed to a small building on which rested a statue of a many-armed man with an elephants head—"that's a temple to Ganapati, and there"—this one bore a stone woman riding a tiger—"Durga, fighter of demons. I can't believe I'm actually here!" Her father had walked these streets…

She stopped before a door that displayed yet another statue; this one depicting a young man, also sporting multiple arms, who appeared to be dancing and playing a flute. Its skin had been painted dark blue, its lips red. She gazed at it a moment; then, unselfconsciously, she bowed, and then rejoined the pirates, a small smile on her face.

Kenta turned to look back at her, an eyebrow raised in a half-amused expression. "So do you actually believe in all these gods and stuff?"

She shook her head, still smiling. "No. But you don't actually have to believe in them to believe in what they mean; they're all just representations of things that exist in our Hearts. Like Krishna there"—she nodded to the one she had bowed to—"he's the god of love. You don't have to be religious to find truth and beauty in religion."

Kenta looked immensely skeptical of this, but he decided to keep it to himself.

"Do you know were we might find a nice place to stay?" Law inquired. Then sun was not so high anymore, but was still oppressively hot.

"I can ask."

Unhesitant, she approached a man who was sitting on the side of the street, wearing a bright orange robe. Law tensed slightly as she placed her palms together and bowed, uttering a strange word. The man greeted her in the same way. Speaking haltingly in an unfamiliar tongue, she added words they recognized and used her hands to convey her question. The man replied, also gesturing. Finally she smiled and returned to the waiting pirates.

"He says we have to follow this street a ways, 'til we get to a wealthier part of town. Then we turn onto a street that runs along the river. There should be plenty of places to eat and find rooms" she informed them.

"You speak their language?" Aaron looked impressed.

"Only a little" she demurred. "My dad could speak it fluently."

Law watched her for a long moment, then turned, beckoning them to follow. Someday soon, he'd have to find out just who this mysterious, knowledgeable father of hers was.

.

.

Eventually they found a place, right by the bank of the river, which served high-quality food and rented rooms. The owner was at first a bit reluctant to provide service to a group of strange-looking pirates, but became very friendly when Law showed him gold (and his trademark blood-chilling smile).

They ate in an enclosed garden, away from the noise and dust of the street. The garden was crowded with more roses than Shinju had ever seen, as well as jasmine, lilies, lotus' in small clear ponds, more statues, and other flowers she couldn't name. The air was thick with their sweet perfume.

The food was delicious: buttery potatoes with sesame seeds, almond-studded fried rice, squares of baked yogurt, fried dough balls filled with onions and coriander leaves, round flat bread, spicy soup with lentils, exotic fruit, and sweet date wine. The other diners scattered throughout the garden _tried_ not to stare at the large party and the feast they were consuming. Shinju noticed that most—if not all—of the native men seemed to be looking at her, and sat a little straighter in her chair, still smiling. She enjoyed everything.

After dinner, Law told his men that they could explore the city at their leisure, as long as they kept their ears open for any interesting news to bring back to him. He lounged at a bench against the garden wall.

"You, Miss Shinju," he said, looking over at her and narrowing his eyes slightly, "are going to stay with me. We are _not_ going to have anymore mishaps like the one at Sem Perayaan."

She arranged her features into a disconsolate look and twitched her shoulders in a small shrug, turning away from him to smell a rose and hide the little smile that flitted across her lips. She already had plans for her day out tomorrow—and they weren't going to be spoiled by overly-watchful pirates.

.

.

.

She awoke before dawn and rose stealthily from her bed. Crossing silently to her door, she pressed herself against it, closed her eyes, and reached out with her senses to the rooms around her. Aaron and Kenta were to her left. Their emotions flickered in erratic fluidity; they were still asleep. Reaching still further, she found that Jean Bart was downstairs; he was a dreamless sleeper. Taking a deep breath, she sent her awareness into the room across from hers and touched the familiar presence of the Heart Pirates' Captain. He was awake, of course.

Knowing that he was probably listening, she tip-toed back to her bed, then hopped off it again, stretching and yawning. She grabbed her change of clothes (her favorite black pants and a white shirt) entered the small adjoining bathroom and dressed. Then she turned the Fawcett in the bathtub on, pleased to see that the water sputtered noisily into the tub. It would take a while for him to realize that it had been running too long—and by that time, she'd be gone. Hastily, she scribbled a note and left it on the bed:

Dear pirates,

I've gone to look around town a bit. I promise I'll stay out of trouble. Please don't worry about me; I'll be back before nightfall.

—Shinju

After all, if she didn't ask for permission, Law couldn't say no, and what wasn't forbidden was allowed as far as she was concerned. She exited by the window, after checking that no one she recognized was on the street below. Setting off down the street with a spring to her step, she headed for the Great Market, near the center of town.

.

The sun had just barely poked its face over the horizon, and the market was already wide awake. Shinju joined the throng with enthusiasm; there were brightly dressed women doing their morning shopping and chatting happily, beggars on every corner, orange-robed monks, people riding rickshaws, cows lumbering about and holding up traffic (they were considered sacred in this country) little groups of children selling trinkets or sneaking their hands into unattended purses, and even a few warrior-monks, sitting cross legged with their eyes half-closed and their senses taking in everything. The city was alive.

Shinju stopped at a stall selling exquisitely-made glass bottles, and perfume to carry in them. Seeing the old man behind the counter, she bowed, palms together, and greeted him in his own language.

"Namasté" He returned the greeting.

She chose two little bottles, requesting that one contain jasmine perfume and the other a spicy, incense-like scent called 'Shiva'.

"You have money, yes?" The stall owner asked, eyes bright and suspicious.

Reaching into a pocket, she produced a small, shiny object and placed it on the counter: one of the little pieces of gold she'd found in the forest pool at the last island.

The mans eyes widened, a craggy-toothed smile spreading over his face; quickly he snatched the gold and hid it out of sight. When he gave her the perfume, he also pressed a small wad of paper money into her hands, and a little carved figure of Krishna.

Next she bought some bread and spiced chai tea for breakfast, using the rupee's that the old man had given her. A little further on, a neat-looking shop selling all women's apparel caught her eye. As she browsed through the racks of clothing, she felt a pleasant happy excitement fill her; she hadn't been shopping like this since she'd been at the mall with Arianna, way back on Sabaody. She wondered what her friend would think of this place, and wished that she was here with her. Shaking her head, she pushed the sad thoughts away. This was her day off, and she was going to enjoy it.

The elegant women who worked in the shop had, like all the natives, tanned skin and dark glossy brown hair. They ran their fingers admiringly through Shinju's snow-white locks, and helped her pick a long, flowing, light blue silk shirt with silver embroidery that brought out the color in her pale eyes. As wealthy women in the native culture showed their status by wearing numerous ornaments, Shinju spent some time convincing them that she only wanted a pair of ivory combs to hold back her hair with.

Deciding that she'd done as much shopping as she wanted, she used the last of her rupee's to rent a rickshaw to her true destination: the great temple and the lesser temples surrounding it. She was going to ask about for information on her father.

.

.

She'd asked around in numerous small temples, turning up nothing at all. She wasn't really discouraged; the city was huge, and she had no idea how many years it might have been since he was even here. She'd find him when she'd find him, no use worrying about it. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

She had just turned her steps to the great temple, when someone spoke to her.

"Uh, excuse me…"

She turned to see a tall, muscular young man, sporting light green hair, a dark green haramaki, and carrying three dangerous-looking katanas at his hip. She stared. She was looking at Roronoa Zoro, one of the eleven Supernovas, and first mate of the Strawhat Pirates. He didn't seem to notice her astonishment.

"I heard there was an ashram around here where warriors can go to meditate, but I must have gotten turned around somewhere…" He scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "You haven't heard of it, have you? I'd ask a monk, but I don't know the language…"

She had relaxed as he spoke; like his captain, he was not a bad person, despite having a fearsome reputation. She sensed in his Heart an incredible determination; there was also kindness and honor. He could fight an army if he wanted too—but he was also the kind of man who'd help a woman or child in need. There was an unpleasant feeling coming from one of his swords, but she knew it was under his control.

Fortunately, she'd just passed the place he was talking about a while back. "Oh, it's really close by. Just go down that way and take a right, you'll find a whole street of ashrams. The warrior-monk one is the first."

"Right, thanks." He nodded to her and walked off.

Continuing on her way, she felt a bit nervous. Once again, the Heart Pirates and the Strawhat Pirates were on the same island…and what if she ran into their captain, Strawhat Luffy? Would he recognize her?

She was lost in thought when someone stopped in front of her. She looked up.

It was Roronoa Zoro again!

"Huh? How did you get here?"

"How did _you_ get here? I told you to go _that_ way!"

"I must've taken a wrong turn somewhere…"

She sighed. The guy was seriously directionally challenged. She gave him the same instructions, and they parted, a little more awkwardly than last time.

She hadn't been walking two minutes when—

"Argh! You've been giving me bad directions, haven't you!" He pointed a finger at her accusingly.

Her scowl matched his. "I have not! _You_ got lost again! How do you keep _doing _that?"

"The building must have moved on me!"

"That's not even possible! Here"—impulsively, she grabbed his hand—"I'll just take you there myself." She started tugging the swordsman down the street. Honestly, his brain must be broken or something.

He pulled his hand free of hers, but continued walking at her side. Every once in a while, his feet would seemingly automatically start to take him in the wrong direction. She'd reach out and pull him back, shaking her head. She was surprised that she felt so comfortable with him.

Finally they arrived at the right gate. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Think you can make it to the door, Mr. Swordsman?"

"Very funny." He looked at her again, this time, his eyes were serious. "We'll probably see each other again, since you're with the Heart Pirates. My name's Roronoa Zoro. What's yours?"

_Hm. I guess he's more observant than his captain. _"It's Shinju." She replied.

The swordsman's eyes followed her as she left, then he looked down at one of the black-sheathed katanas at his hip. _What's gotten into you, Sandai Kitetsu?_ The cursed blade had trembled when she was near.

.

.

Shinju walked slowly around the outer wall of the temple. The large square building was surrounded by a walled courtyard that sheltered a beautifully kept garden. The temples walls were covered top to bottom with carvings depicting gods, demons, heroes, and many others, all seeming to tell a story. As her eyes traveled over them, she found she recognized some of the tales as ones her father had told her.

She was running her fingers admiringly over a figure of the goddess Sita, when she felt someone approach her. There was no threat in the presence, so she didn't turn around, thinking that who ever it was would keep walking.

"They're fascinating, aren't they?" The female voice was low and musical. Looking up, Shinju saw that the woman who had spoken was tall and shapely and very beautiful. She had tanned skin and straight black hair that framed large, ocean-green eyes. She was holding a notebook and wore a purple cowgirl hat, shading her face from the sun.

Shinju smiled cautiously. There was something powerful about this beautiful woman, and she was sure she'd seen her face before…

"This one here is the goddess Sita. She was kidnapped by the demon Lord Ravana, and rescued by her lover, Rama. That's him, there" Shinju pointed.

"Oh? So you know the legends of this land?" She looked interested.

Shinju nodded. "I could tell you some, if you'd like…" She offered shyly. Suddenly she wanted to impress the woman. Her Heart was kind, but strangely guarded. She'd suffered betrayal in the past, and the fact that there was still kindness in her Heart meant that she was strong. Without knowing why, Shinju wished this woman would trust her at least a little.

"I would like that."

She spent the next few minutes spiritedly describing the scenes carved in front of them while the dark-haired woman listened, smiling. Finally, the woman turned to her.

"On my way here, I happened to notice a little café that sold chilled fruit drinks. Why don't you have one with me? I'll treat."

Shinju paused, hesitant. She really shouldn't keep Law and the others waiting for ever, and the sun was getting low in the sky…but it had been so long since she'd had the chance to spend time with another female…

Making up her mind, she smiled. "I'd love to." one more hour wouldn't hurt. "By the way, my name's Shinju. What's yours?"

The woman smiled mysteriously. "Nico Robin."

.

Shinju looked across the table as Ms. Robin took her seat, pushing a tall glass towards the girl. She could hardly believe it; she was having a conversation with yet _another _Strawhat Pirate. They seemed to be springing out of the woodwork. She didn't know why the famous pirate fem-fatale would want to talk to her, but she was grateful for the company. These Strawhats didn't even seem like pirates—they were too nice.

"I couldn't help but notice, Miss Shinju, that you wear the symbol of the Heart Pirates." Shinju's hand went unconsciously to the collar around her neck, her eyes fixed on the table. "Is that by any chance a slave collar?"

Looking up into the woman's ocean-green eyes, and feeling the sympathy in her Heart, she found herself blurting out the whole story, starting out at the auction that Robins captain had wreaked havoc in.

"So now you travel the grand line with Trafalgar Law and his crew…" Robin leaned back in her chair, one finger tracing the rim of her glass. "We Strawhats owe Mr. Law a great debt for saving our captain."

Shinju smiled ruefully. "I wouldn't be so sure of his good intentions, if I were you."

Robin chuckled softly. "Pirates are used to situations like that. Whether his intentions are good or evil, we still owe him gratitude."

As if speaking of the Devil made him appear, Shinju heard a familiar, clipped voice call her name, and turned to see Law striding towards her.

"What do you think you're doing here, we've been looking everywhere for you"—his eyes suddenly fell on Robin. Immediately he became calm and cool. "Ah, if it isn't Nico Robin…" a cold smile touched his lips. Robin inclined her head graciously.

"Mr. Law." Her smile was equally meaningless. She looked perfectly relaxed.

_Wow, this woman's got guts._ Shinju thought admiringly. _She's not one to cross lightly._

Law seemed to think the same thing. "I was just looking for my friend here" he said smoothly, his threatening smile still in place and his dark eyes fixed on the woman at the table. He placed the hand that wasn't holding his sword on Shinju's shoulder, who tensed. She could feel his annoyance. "We'll be leaving now."

"Just a moment, Mr. Law. We owe you a great debt—surely you'll let us present our gratitude?"

His smile became a little less threatening for a moment. "The time is not right for that. Excuse me." Gripping Shinju's arm, he started to leave the café. Shinju turned to wave to the pirate woman, breathing a sigh of relieve. At least _that_ tense situation was over with. Then it got worse.

"Hey, Robin!" Monkey D. Luffy approached the table, followed by a young man with a very long nose. He stopped dead, eyes locked on Shinju. She grimaced, waiting for the axe to fall. "You're that tiger girl! What'cha doin' here?"

Law tensed, his grip tightening painfully. Yep. He was angry. Then Strawhats eyes found him. The young mans face was blank for a moment, and Shinju could almost hear the cogs turning slowly in his brain. She saw his expression brighten suddenly as if hit by a beam of light.

"You're that guy with the bear!" He exclaimed with a huge grin.

A muscle twitched in Law's jaw as he said "excuse me" again, and exited the café. Looking back, Shinju saw Strawhat and the long-nosed man lean in to talk to Robin.

.

.

Shinju had to take two steps to match his every one as they strode through the streets, back towards the harbor. Sunset was dying from the sky; only the tallest buildings were lit by its bright orange glow. If she wasn't in trouble before, she was _definitely_ in trouble now. Laws eyes had gone flat the moment Strawhat Luffy had greeted her. Arguments and defenses ran rapidly through here mind. After all, it's not like she'd disobeyed any orders…not _directly _anyway.

She followed him through the hallways of the submarine, startled crewmen backing out of the way at the look on their captain's face. He entered his room after her; then closed the door with an ominous snap.

"So" he said coldly, turning on her. "Having a nice time, were you?" She could _feel_ his anger, and the fact that he spoke softly, with a small smile on his face, made it all the more frightening. She noticed that her hands were trembling, and stuffed them in her pockets.

"Nothing _bad_ happened—I didn't get into trouble—you didn't have to look for me, I was just about to leave..." The arguments she had so carefully prepared on the way here fell apart on her tongue, sounding weak and pathetic rather than calm and confident as they had in her head. He ignored her.

"Exploring a dangerous island with an escort isn't good enough for Miss Shinju, it seems." A sarcastic smirk twisted his lips; his eyes were hard as they bored into hers. She gritted her teeth and tried not to flinch at the cutting edge in his voice. "No, Miss Shinju makes her own rules, despite already having generous privileges, considering she's a prisoner and could have things much worse—"

"I just wanted to be on my own a bit! It didn't do any harm—"

"—and what do I find after a day of searching, concerned for her safety?" he continued, talking over her, his voice rising a bit. "Miss Shinju is consorting with my enemies, whom she has apparently met before behind my back—"

"Honestly, I ran into him completely on accident—"

"You lied to me when I asked if you saw anyone on that island." He said quietly. All traces of mocking sarcasm had left his face.

"I didn't _lie_" she protested. "—I—_omitted_ certain truths—" He took a step closer to her, and she took a step back. "I-I just didn't want you and Strawhat to fight, that's all…" She was feeling more and more like a mouse confronted by a cat. She hated it.

"Oh? Concerned for us, Miss Shinju? Or for them?"

"Both." She replied, a stubborn set to her mouth. "I don't want bad things to happen to you or the crew. And…I like the Strawhats. They're goodhearted and nice. It's almost like they're not even pirates..." He saw the almost wistful look in her eyes, and his hands balled into fists.

"You'd rather be in _his_ crew, is that it, Miss Shinju?" his tone dared her to answer yes.

She looked startled for a moment, then, because she didn't know better, and because she was incurably stubborn, she told the truth. "I don't want to be a pirate at all… But if I were to follow someone, it would be someone with a Heart like his…"

"Strawhat Luffy is a brainless idiot of almost unimaginable proportions, successful only because of a mixture of much more powerful allies and a much more intelligent crew." He was barely suppressing the anger in his voice now.

Her eyes flashed, and she sounded fierce for the first time as she replied "brainless or not, he's a better person—a better _captain_—than you! He would _never_ try to force someone to join him, and if you were _half _the man he is—" She had finally gone too far.

Fast as lightning, he struck her, a vicious backhand slap that sent her to the floor. She looked up at him, lips pulled back to bare her teeth defiantly, but she flinched and raised an arm to block him as he swooped down on her. Grabbing her by the wrist and neck, he lifted her as easily as if she'd been a rag doll and slammed her against the wall.

"You stupid girl" he hissed in her ear, voice quivering with rage. His hand tightened on her throat, and she tried desperately to pull it away, but it was like trying to move an iron band. "Do you think you have a choice? If you _don't _choose me, you aren't going to _have_ any other options!"

Fighting the blind panic of not being able to breath, she attempted to glare into his eyes, but her vision was getting blurry. She was afraid, more afraid of him than she'd ever been before…

Then he let her go. She coughed weakly, dragging air into her bruised windpipe. She hadn't yet regained her balance when his hand clamped onto her upper arm; she bit back a cry of pain at the strength of his grip as he half-dragged her to the door that led to her room, yanked it open, and threw her inside, slamming it behind her.

.

Crumpled on the floor, Shinju rubbed her throat, and realized that she was trembling violently. _Get a hold of yourself._ She looked up at the ceiling and breathed slowly through her nose until the burning, watery feeling in her eyes subsided. _How could I be so stupid! _She thought furiously. She'd gotten so used to laughing and joking with the crew, so used to playfully teasing their captain that she'd forgotten that, even if his outward persona wasn't all of who he was, it was very real and very dangerous. She'd gotten too used to him. She'd gotten careless. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Wiping her eyes, she felt something in her pocket and pulled it out. The little figure of Krishna that the perfume seller had given her…She'd completely forgotten it. She set it on the table next to her glass tiger. For some reason, the sight of the two of them made her feel slightly better. Rising stiffly, she decided to get ready for bed.

Undressing in her bathroom, she saw that there were red marks on her arm, neck, and face. Already the blood was pooling under the skin; soon she'd be able to see perfect imprints of his fingers…Shuddering, she pulled on her nightgown. When she was curled up in bed, the words he'd spoken replayed over and over in her head. _He didn't mean it._ She tried to convince herself. _And even if he did…maybe he'll change his mind. There's still time._

Despite all her efforts to set her mind at ease, her sleep was filled with dark dreams in which not only had her heart been taken, but her limbs and tongue as well. She was chained, naked, in a freezing room, more helpless than she'd ever been. She shivered as tears welled up and spilled out of her empty eye sockets…

When she awoke in the night, shaking, the tears that she had refused to cry earlier were soaking into her pillow.

.

.

As he paced back and forth on the garden path outside the inn, the warm night air and heavy scent of the flowers did nothing to help clear his head. Anger was still pulsing through his veins like poison. That _damned_ girl was lucky he was nowhere near her…lucky that he'd decided to control his anger…if he thought that the impudence could be beaten out of her, he might have tried it already, but he knew better. She'd just look at him accusingly with those pale, stubborn eyes of hers, look at him like she knew _he _was wrong and _she_ was right.

He braced a fist against the garden wall and took a deep breath. It was then that he noticed there were red marks on the skin of his hand, stinging slightly. Ah, yes. Her fingernails had dug in when she'd tried to pull his hand away…As he stared at them, a new emotion began to awake in his Heart, pushing the anger away and irritating him like an itch. Guilt.

_Guilt?_ Why? He could have done far worse, and it wasn't like she hadn't asked for it…but then a sly voice in the back of his mind informed him that he hadn't lost his temper because of what she'd done…it was because of what she'd said About Strawhat Luffy, and the longing he'd heard in her voice when she spoke of his crew. And when she looked at _him…_

He had seen fear in her eyes, and was almost surprised that the fact gave him no pleasure or satisfaction; he only felt slightly disgusted with himself. Another new emotion. Where was all this coming from? Since the day he had abandoned the world to become an outcast, a villain, one of the hated: a pirate, he had embraced the fact that although kindness and compassion were all very well and nice when you could spare them, _fear _was the only sure way to have respect, control; the best way to stop the world from chewing you up and spitting you out broken. He was a master at using his talent for fear. But somehow, when he thought of her, he started to wonder if the thing that he had believed so firmly could be wrong. _Why_ did she make him feel this way?

He sighed, leaning his back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. There was only one thing he knew for certain about all this; as angry as he was with her, he didn't feel right about what had happened, what he had done. He would have to try to set it right.

.

.

.

Morning was just starting to lighten her room when he sat down by her bed, propping his elbows on his knees and surveying her over his fingertips. She had slept restlessly; her sheets were tangled around her. With another stab of guilt, his eyes found the bruises that adorned her skin, marking were his hands had touched her. Eventually she stirred, her eyes blinking slowly. Then she noticed him.

She froze, eyes fixed on him like a cornered animal, and she tensed as if waiting for him to strike her again. Very carefully, he held something out to her.

"Wrap this around your neck." his voice was calm, his face neutral. "It will ease the swelling."

Cautiously, she reached out and took the cloth from him, her eyes still wary. It was cold; a compress. He slowly reached across the distance between them and wrapped a second one around the red-purple hand-shaped bruise on her upper arm. Then he rested his chin on his hands again.

"I'd…like to apologize. I was right to be angry with you, but I shouldn't have lost my temper. I'm sorry."

She looked into his eyes very closely, making him feel, as she had in the past, that she could see into his Heart. Whatever she saw must have been satisfactory, because her expression softened slightly and she nodded.

He watched her for a moment, then said quietly "You might as well just accept that you're here to stay and join my crew, Shinju." Her eyes immediately hardened again and she stared at the wall, refusing to look at him. "I'm not going to let you go. You'll be happier when you accept that; you already feel more comfortable here, I've been watching you, I can tell. Think about it, Shinju."

He reached out to touch her face, but she brushed his hand away, eyes flashing fiercely. She felt anger flare behind his storm-grey eyes, then subside as he pushed it back. He forced a rather chilly smile onto his face. "Think about it." He repeated. Then he stood fluidly, crossed the room, and left, closing the door softly behind him.

.

.

Kenta stomped flat-footed down the hall towards her room. He'd made up his mind: he was going to tell that selfish, spoiled brat just what he felt about having had to look for her _all day_ yesterday in the hot sun. The damned girl didn't think of anyone but herself. Reaching her door, he'd only banged on it twice when it opened suddenly, surprising him. She stood there, wearing her training clothes: light gray sweatpants and a black cloth bound tightly around her chest. He opened his mouth to begin his tirade, then closed it as his eyes roved over the dark purple markings on her skin. He clutched his head in total exasperation.

"_Why_ do you antagonize him when you _know_ it will only get you hurt? _Why?_"

"It adds excitement to my life" she snapped.

"Don't say that" he said angrily, "It's not true. What's the _real_ reason?"

She clenched her fists. "_Doing_ things—and saying things—changes things. Not doing things, and staying silent, leaves everything the way it is."

"So? Isn't everything just fine the way it—"

"—No it isn't!" her eyes blazed, holding his, and her voice shook. "Not for me." She held his gaze for another moment, then brushed past him and stalked off.


	8. Dark Deeds and Hidden Powers

Updating from an internet cafe! Thank you Moonlight Calls (6 reviews!) Vampire Revan, 4shadowedice4, Mikila94, Man's Best Friend, xXFireFistAceXx, and Kirsten for the reviews! as for your questions: Shinju's fighting abilities were good, but not nearly good enough to take on the New World without some serious practice. She doesn't have much practical battle experience, and she's best with her staff- blade and hunting knifes. (She still has a ways to go) Kenta is the one with the pengiun hat, and yes, last chapters city was based off India, which I have had the good fortune to visit..

So, we finally get some romance this chapter :) and also I present to you: Bepo in a jesters outfit. Yes. You'll see.

One Piece is the creation of Eiichiro Oda

Dark Deeds and Hidden Powers

Shinju sat at the dimly-lit table, poring over a newspaper after dinner. Few men were in the room—they'd gone to bed, or to look-out duty. Law had been watching her for some minutes, but if she noticed, she showed no sign of it. Finally, he left his customary place at the head of the table to sit next to her. The dusky shadows under his eyes were even more pronounced than usual at this late hour. Reaching over, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He'd been doing that lately; she was sure it was because he knew how much it annoyed her. She'd soon realized that trying to brush him away had little effect, so she settled for ignoring it.

"How long are you going to wait, Shinju?" He asked, his voice smooth as velvet. He was going to start _that _conversation again. "Surely you don't want to remain a prisoner forever."

"Oh, I don't think I'll need to look thatfar ahead." She replied, still reading. "It's only been a few months and _you're_ already impatient."

"Not impatient, Shinju. Just curious."

"Hmm…" She wasn't paying attention to him; her eyes were still fixed on the newspaper. He tugged it out of her hands. She sighed. He could be so childish sometimes.

Rising, she stretched. "Well I'm going to bed, if that's all right with you, oh patient one."

A mischievous smile touched his dark face, his shadowy eyes peering sideways at her. "Of course, Miss Shinju. Maybe I'll stop by later to say goodnight."

She chose to ignore that as she walked away.

They'd been walking around each other rather carefully after the events of last week. He had apologized—and meant it—but he wouldn't stop impressing on her the fact that he was determined to have her join his crew, and that he wouldn't take no for an answer. She was just as determined in her refusal. He _could_ use more forceful methods if he'd wanted to, but she believed that he knew just how that would turn out: the harder someone pushed her, the harder she dug her heels in and refused to budge. She could take her stubbornness beyond safety, common sense and reason without a second thought. So he'd decided to wait her out, and, possibly, try to win her over.

She'd made her own apologies to the crew. She'd rather do it because _she _chose to than because Law might order her to—and she _was _sorry, despite the fact that it was really Law's fault that they'd had to look for her, not hers. She still didn't understand why the normally calm, unshakable captain had overreacted the moment she'd been out of sight. Most likely he just couldn't stand the thought of her not having to obey his every whim for a day. Well, he'd just have to deal with it.

She devoted even more focus to training; not only was it exhilarating to get stronger, but it helped her clear her mind of negativity and only see the road ahead. She barely noticed how much better she did in sparring with the others these days, how much more weight she could lift than when she started, or how much longer it took for her to tire. She kept her mind fixed on the next goal, the next limit. She _did_ notice that the others sometimes looked at her with something that was almost like respect, and that was nearly a better reward then her new strength.

.

.

It was only a day later when they came upon the cliffs. Shinju was sitting in her favorite place at the observation window, and the cliffs loomed, huge and black and jagged, in front of them. They had to sail along side of them for quite some time before finding a place where they could drop anchor and disembark.

A narrow, crooked path cut through the steep rock, leading to what looked like a walled town, the tops of the roofs just visible. Even further back, a large dark castle looked down ominously on the village; it seemed ugly and threatening, and the few windows showing light glared through the darkness like burning eyes. It was not yet night, but the heavy grey clouds that blanketed the sky, combined with the fact that the rocks of the island and of the stone buildings were black, made the place seem to be encompassed by perpetual gloom.

Shinju shivered slightly as they made their way up the path towards the village gate, wondering if maybe she should have stayed on the ship this time. Their party was small, as most of the others had caught on to this idea before her. This place looked just plain depressing. A very light rain had begun to fall when they finally reached a pair of large, weathered wooden doors.

"Jean Bart." Law didn't have to say anything more to make his intention clear. The giant man grunted, then began to force the door, the wood cracking sharply.

"Who goes there?" the loud shout came from the other side of the gate. "No one is admitted here without the approval of the Lord Torgrün!" The man's tone was arrogant. There was the sound of footsteps as more men gathered behind the door, their voices ringing with surprise. Shinju guessed that this place did not often get visitors.

Wasting no time, Jean Bart gave the doors a mighty punch, splintering them to pieces. They got a look at four startled men, all wearing armor and carrying spears, before, with two sweeps of Jean Bart's muscled arms, the guards went flying to crash into the wall and lay, still and silent, on the ground. The rain continued to whisper against the dark stone street.

Law continued forward as nonchalantly as if nothing had happened, and the others followed.

The buildings on either side were crammed in next to each other as closely as possible, and leaned in over the narrow, dirty streets; it seemed to Shinju as if they watched with disapproval. Turning her head when she felt a touch at the edge of her senses, she glimpsed curtains being draw on one side, open shutters closing with a small 'clack' on the other. The residents of this town hid, quiet and unresisting, as strange men walked their streets. She had a feeling that the air of melancholy and fear that persisted in this place was not something that had anything to do with their arrival; it was already well established.

They came to a large tavern called, according to the creaky wooden sign that hung over the door and swung in the wind, "The Broken Barrel."

.

If they were hoping that the interior of The Broken Barrel would be any more inviting than the rainy streets outside, their hopes were dashed. A few smoldering logs in the fireplace added more smoke to the dim common room than warmth, the tallow candles smelled bad, the floor was so filthy that the stones that made it were not visible, and the large, heavy wooden tables looked as if they hadn't been scrubbed in at least twelve years. Two women in tight-fitting dresses and a horrible emptiness in their eyes loitered next to the door leading to the rooms in the upper floors; Shinju noticed that their gaze lingered on Law's handsome face and lean figure. A few scruffy men were smoking pipes and lounging by the bar, casting the pirates suspicious glances, and one lone man sat at a table, staring dejectedly into an empty tankard.

Shinju reached forward and touched Law's elbow. He looked down at her.

"Is it alright if I go look at some of the shops, if Bepo comes with me? I don't like it in here." Some of the men at the counter were leering at her.

He regarded her for a moment, and then turned his eyes to the bear. "Bepo?"

"I don't mind, Captain. It's smoky in here."

Law nodded his approval, and Shinju smiled with relief, grabbing Bepo's paw and tugging him along. She still had a little gold left; maybe she'd find something useful here.

Kenta wandered over to the bar, wondering if he should get something for Jean Bart, who was waiting outside as he didn't fit through the door. Law signaled to the barkeep for two drinks. The sour-faced man slammed them and a pitcher of ale onto the table in front of the pirate captain, and snatched the coins greedily from Law's hand before disappearing behind his bar.

Law slid onto a bench across from the lone drunken man. "Greetings, friend." He tried to smile in a friendly way, without showing too many teeth. "Perhaps you'd like to have a drink with me." _He_ wasn't actually going to drink, of course. The stuff looked as if there were probably a few rats floating in the barrel it had come from. But drunken men had loose lips, and he'd like to get a bit of information on the castle that overlooked the village before deciding to loot the place. He pushed a full tankard towards the man.

"Well, that's right nice of yeh…" The man emptied half the tankard with one gulp. "Yer outsiders, aint'yeh?" He peered at the trim young man through a curtain of dirty, unkempt hair, eyeing the large sword that rested beside Law with a certain apprehension. "Pirates?"

"Yes, we're just passing through. Tell me, what sort of place is that large castle up the hill? It looks rather…forbidding."

It wasn't too long before the tipsy man was emptying an account of his grievances with the inhabitant of Grimtor Castle into Law's receptive ears.

"_Lord_ Torgrün, fah!" he turned and spat contemptuously on the floor, as if washing the name from his mouth. "'E crushes us with taxes, while 'e eats from jewel-encrusted plates an' hires armored thugs to enforce 'is will!"

"You don't say?" Law refilled the man's cup. The contents of his own tankard was on the floor under the table; the place was so dirty that it didn't make much difference. He was interested to hear about jewel-encrusted plates. _Very_ interested. And it sounded like he'd be doing the world a favor if he removed Lord Torgrün's head from his shoulders—it was always nice to do a good deed every once in a while.

"The on'y good thing 'bout the bastard is 'e hasn't got an heir to take 'is place. Three wives—the last one dead year ago—and not a brat to show fer it. None outside 'a marriage, either, despite all 'is…appetites."

"Appetites?"

"Oh yeah. 'E's got a taste for pretty ones as 'aint spoken fer. On'y they 'aint spoken fer if 'e _says_ they 'aint, see? Poor wenches. Hardly a pretty lass in the village 'e hasn't got 'is hands on, an' the ones who've managed to avoid him stay well out 'a sight."

"I see." Laws expression was suddenly very grim. He gripped his sword tightly. "And how exactly does he get these women? Does he order them to come to him?"

"E' doesn't bother." The drunkards face twisted with disgust. "Just gets 'is men to bring 'em. E' lets 'em go eventually—but they 'aint never the same again. One of the reasons I drink so much." The bleary-eyed man finally noticed that all was not well with his companion. "Yeh all right, fella? Yeh look kind'a pale…"

.

.

.

"What are you going to buy, Shinju?" Bepo asked. Their footsteps went _splat splat _over the wet cobblestones of the street.

"I was thinking of getting some more clothes."

"Don't you already have enough?"

"I need some sturdier ones, for fighting and stuff. I bet this place has lots of practical clothes. And besides,"—she laughed—"you can _never_ have too many clothes. _You_ wouldn't know, because you were born with a lovely fur coat."

He blinked. She was the only one who ever complimented him. She felt sorry for the impressionable bear; the others, tired of his oversensitive nature, were always putting him down or simply telling him to shut up.

Neither of them noticed the man who watched them enter a dingy shop from the shadows of a dark alley, his collar pulled up to ward off the chill. The man skulked away, stopping before a door to a guard house. He knocked, then spoke briefly to the man who answered. The guardsman threw a few coins on the ground; he scrambled on his hands and knees to retrieve them all before hurrying away.

.

"What do you think of this one, Bepo?" Shinju held up a medium-long coat for his inspection as she browsed through the dusty shop.

"…It's nice." He'd said 'it's nice' in response to all the articles she'd shown him, unsure of what he _should_ say. It's not like bears know much about clothes.

"Hmm…" she put it back and selected another one.

"Are you almost done, Shinju?" she'd already chosen dark brown pants, leather boots, a nice white shirt with sleeves that buttoned at the wrist, and a tight-fitting leather vest.

"Yeah, this should do it." She said, making her choice. _I'll practically look like a pirate wearing all this. _She smiled to herself. _Maybe I should get an eye patch and a pet parrot next._

The wizened old lady behind the counter barely reacted when Shinju paid with a small lump of pure gold; she didn't even seem all that interested in Bepo. The people around here sure weren't very curious.

They exited the shop for the cold street outside, Bepo carrying the paper-wrapped parcels.

"We'd better head back to that disgusting tavern and meet up with your captain."

"Yeah." Then he stopped, sniffing the air. The rain made it difficult to tell, but…

She felt them too. Stepping from alleyways on either side, armor clad men approached them. One swaggered a little closer than the others before speaking. Shinju heard Bepo growl softly.

"Your presence is requested by Lord Torgrün." The man said with a leer at Shinju. "Why don't you and your pet bear follow us now? It's best not to keep our Lord waiting."

"I'll get the one furthest on the left" she whispered to Bepo. He nodded. Then they sprang.

The men shouted with alarm and fear as Bepo's rapid kicks sent two of their ranks flying. Shinju kicked the legs out from under another one, using his own spear to help trip him up, then kicked his head hard against the stone street. Their armor made them hard to take down. Wiping her rain-sodden hair from her eyes, she stood next to Bepo, back-to-back as the men surrounded them.

"You should go get Law, Shinju."

"Do you think you'll be alright?" she'd done a quick count; there were eight men left standing, some of them holding rifles.

Before he could answer, one of the men exclaimed "Did you hear that? The beast _spoke_! It can _talk_!"

Knowing what was going to happen, Shinju shouted "Don't listen to them Bepo, don't—!" but it was too late.

Shoulders drooping, the sensitive bear hung his head and muttered "I'm sorry…"

They took this few seconds distraction to fire the rifle-like weapons; metal nets flew out of them, wrapping tightly around the bear, tangling his arms and legs hopelessly.

"Bepo!"

"Run, Shinju!"

Making an agonized decision, she dashed toward the street that led back the way they'd come. She almost made it, too. Almost.

.

.

.

The dining hall of Grimtor Castle was sumptuously decorated with bright red carpets, tapestries and weapons that adorned the walls, and a crystal chandelier hanging overhead. An enormous log fire filled the hall with warmth and flickering light.

Lord Torgrün sat at the head of a highly-polished table set with a feast. He was a large, powerfully built man; once he had clearly been fit and strong, but years of overindulgence had made his flesh pale and flabby. He was dressed richly in crimson velvet, many jeweled rings adorned his thick fingers and gold chains hung around his fat neck.

The nobleman inspected the two prisoners over his crystal wineglass, his small dark eyes shining malevolently from his pale, doughy face.

_This pig sits here and eats off gold and silver dishes while that village struggles in poverty._ Shinju thought with vicious disgust. She and Bepo had been shackled.

"So, the bear talks, you say?" Torgrün asked the captain of the guards. His voice was thin and nasal. "Well, beast, how would you like to be my court jester? I'll even feed you."

"Don't answer him, Bepo!" Shinju gritted fiercely through clenched teeth. The men holding her arms tightened their grip. This bastard may have captured them, but there was no way in _hell_ she was going to let him humiliate them. It was only a matter of time before Law showed up and taught him a lesson anyway.

Torgrün turned his attention to the girl, a sickening smile stretching his wide slack mouth. She felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck as his eyes lingered on her body.

"And who might this pretty little flower be?" he purred, his voice unctuous. "Don't be shy girl, tell me your name."

"None of your business!" she snarled. A nervous tension was filling her, and she could feel the adrenaline entering her bloodstream. The way he looked at her was making her feel sick; she tried to push the feeling away before it could weaken her.

"A spirited one, eh? I _love _women with a little fight in them."

_I'm gonna scratch his eyes out._ She thought savagely, partly to distract herself from her growing unease. _I don't care what happens to me—as long as I tear out as many chunks of his flesh as I can manage. I've got more _fight_ in me than he can deal with! He doesn't even look all that strong._

His gaze traveled up her torso, and he spotted the collar around her neck. "You're a slave?" His expression darkened, and Shinju could feel his irritation: he didn't like the idea of her 'belonging' to another man. Then his smile reappeared. "Well, no matter. Your _mine_ now." The purr was back in his voice. "You'll be much better off with me than with those filthy pirates. I'll buy you all the pretty clothes you could ever want, my pet."

"Shinju…" Bepo was worried. There were a lot of things he didn't understand, but _this_ he understood perfectly. An animal knows the ways of other animals, after all.

"So it does talk, I though you dolts were just imagining things…Captain!" he snapped at the captain of the guards.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Take the bear to my seneschal. Tell him it is to be trained as a performing bear."

"Right away, my Lord." The captain and his men took firm hold of the chains attached to Bepo's collar and cuffs and prepared to drag him bodily from the hall. Shinju gritted her teeth so hard they hurt. Suddenly, Bepo sprang out of their hold, aiming a kick at the nobleman's face. She felt a thrill of excitement, then—

Torgrün laughed and extended an arm that changed into thick white string before their eyes, wrapping tightly around the bear like a spider wraps up a fly. Shinju felt icy fear settle in her stomach. He had the power of one of the Devil Fruits; and by the looks of it, it was a Logia type.

"That should keep him quiet." He smirked as the guards dragged the bear away, then turned back to Shinju's horrified face.

"Now, my little pet" he gloated at her, "Why don't I show you to your new quarters? I can't _wait_ to get to know you. And don't bother worrying your little self about those awful pirates. I'll have their captain's head turned in for the bounty on it this time tomorrow."

.

.

.

Some time later:

"Hold your ground men! HOLD YOUR GROUND!" the captain of the guard shrieked, his voice shrill with panic, as the pirates advanced through the courtyard.

"_Room"_ Law's voice made the word sound as smooth as smoke, as dangerous as the edge of a knife. He flicked his hand, and a giant circle expanded around him, glowing an unearthly blue as it encompassed a number of startled guards. A few sweeps of his nodachi, and the men were in pieces, their armor useless against his powers. They screamed in confusion and fear as their disconnected bodies whirled chaotically through the aura inside the sphere he had created.

"_Shambles" _With another casual flick of his hands, the disembodied limbs and torsos and heads reattached themselves, but all wrong: one man had one leg and three arms, another had no arms at all, yet another had his head attached to a large ornamental vase that had gotten caught in the area of attack. The blue light flickered and died as he released them; they crawled over the flagstones, crying piteously, most of them unable to walk, let alone fight.

Kenta and Jean Bart finished off the stragglers, then Jean Bart roared as he hammered on the large double-doors; two punches and they gave way. Law strode forward and dealt with the men inside as he had done with the ones in the courtyard. The remaining men threw down their weapons and fled.

"Captain!"

He swiveled, his piercing gaze darting to a dark corner. Bepo was chained to a post. His orange suit had been replaced by a ridiculous yellow and green checkered outfit; a floppy, belled hat perched on his head and bells were tied round his ankles and wrists. One sweep of Law's sword and the chains and shackles fell away.

"Captain, Shinju's in trouble!"

"I know" his voice cracked like a whip. "Where is she? Where did they take her?"

"I don't know, I didn't see!"

Cursing under his breath, he spun and grabbed the decapitated head of the captain of the guards. The man gibbered with terror as he looked into Trafalgar Law's pitiless stormcloud-grey eyes.

"You're going to tell me where Lord Torgrün's chambers are." He didn't need to raise his voice.

_Just wait a little longer, Shinju. I'm almost there._

.

.

.

Attacking him had done no good at all, and now Lord Torgrün laughed at her attempts to flee from him. She pounded and tugged at the heavy door, but it wouldn't budge. Dashing to the small table by his four-poster bed, she turned it over, then snapped off a leg, her breath starting to tear from her chest in painful gasps. Using her makeshift club to shatter the glass of a window, she found herself facing a many-story drop, without a handhold in sight. Living string wrapped around her waist and wrenched her away from the window. He'd had his fill of watching her desperately seek an escape route.

Snarling like a trapped animal, she tore at the strands that bound her until her nails broke and were torn from their beds, her fingers bleeding; the string remained tight and unbreakable. He laughed even louder when she tried to kick him, her legs becoming tangled in the limitless threads he created. The hopeless struggling of his victims was always more than half the fun. Twining the threads of one hand around her wrists, he held them over her head, lifting her against the wall until her face was even with his. Her hair fell into her wild eyes and she couldn't brush it away, her skin, even her lips, was milk white.

"Behave and I'll be good to you, kitten." he taunted, his voice sliding over her like oil. With another vicious laugh, he bit down hard on the muscle between her neck and shoulder. She felt his hot, putrid breath, and as his fat be-ringed fingers scrabbled over her shirt, tearing it, she felt her mind begin to shut down in a last bid at self-defense.

_This is it. It's over. Law is too late, I'll never make it. I didn't even get to scratch this pig's eyes out…_

Something deep inside her rebelled. For one second, she thought she felt the roar of a monster, of a tiger…then a scream of defiance ripped from her throat, traveling through her like a jolt of electricity.

There was one moment in which the world seemed to freeze; she saw his grinning face slacken into an expression of horror, then of shock. His eyes rolled back into his head, and, almost slowly, he toppled over, unconscious.

She slid down the wall to sit huddled in a pile of now loose string. She stared, dumbfounded, at the man who, seconds ago, had been attacking her. His back was arched stiffly, there was foam dribbling from his blue lips…Did he have a heart attack? No, somehow she knew that what had happened had been her doing.

Abruptly, her body decided to protest against current events. Her stomach heaved; she crawled over to the wastebasket at the edge of his bed and retched, but nothing came up. When the dry-heaves settled down she rinsed her mouth with the water that was left in the decanter she had knocked off the table.

As she turned to resume staring at him, she felt someone familiar approaching fast. The heavy doors blasted open, splintering off their hinges, and Law strode in. His expression was blazing, murderous, and a sense of burning rage was rolling off him in waves. She barely noticed that he was followed by Bepo and Kenta, both looking like they feared the worst.

His eyes swept the room, landing on the broken table, the drops of blood on the carpet, and the white string draped around the room and lying in coils on the floor, before settling on the unconscious nobleman.

"Captain, look!" Bepo pointed to Shinju, sitting unobtrusively on the floor.

Law crossed the room in two strides and knelt in front of her, gripping her shoulders and causing her to wince slightly. His gaze was intense as he examined her, taking in her ashen complexion and watery eyes.

"Are you alright? What did he do to you?"

She took a deep, shaky breath. "It's…okay… I'm fine. As soon as he took my shackles off, I fought him." She tried to speak of the event without remembering it, but the images flooded in anyway—_her blows sinking uselessly into soft string, her bound hands over her head, his jeering face, his hot breath_—she shook her head, clearing it.

"I…something happened…" She swallowed and struggled to find the words to describe it. "He had a Devil Fruit's power—the 'strand-strand' fruit, he said—and my attacks weren't having any effect…" Law's grip tightened slightly. She continued, " But then, I was suddenly so _angry_—and I don't know how I did it—but my anger just—_leapt—_out of me, into him, and he passed out…" She stopped, recalling with awe the sense of power that had surged through her.

Kenta's mouth fell open. "Wait a second—you can use Haki?" he exclaimed in wonder. "_You_ can use _Haki?_" Shinju ignored him, not knowing what 'haki' meant. She thought she saw a strange, almost triumphant look glimmer in Law's eyes; it was gone before she could be sure.

The anger that had radiated from his presence faded, his expression softened a little as he realized that she hadn't been seriously harmed. She noticed his eyes flick over her again, slightly slower this time; looking down, she saw that her tattered shirt was doing a bad job of covering some of her more salient features. Blushing suddenly under his unabashed gaze, she raised an arm to cover herself.

"Bepo" Law said quietly.

"Yes Captain?"

"You are to take Shinju to the infirmary, where she shall await my attention. Kenta, you go with them." He scooped her up easily in his arms and handed her to Bepo. Kenta hesitated.

"Aren't you coming, Captain?"

Law's eyes looked again at the nobleman lying at his feet. Gripping his sword, he replied in a deceptively soft voice, "I have some unfinished business with Lord Torgrün." The look on his face was frightening, even for him. Turning back to his men, he said with a different kind of fierceness, "Protect her with your lives."

"Aye, Captain!" They saluted, then practically fled.

Hurrying after Bepo, Kenta shuddered, remembering that look on his captain's face. He did not envy Lord Torgrün, but then, thinking of the girl in Bepo's arms, he didn't pity the man either.

"You know, you don't have to carry me Bepo, I can walk."

"Captain wanted me to carry you." He insisted stubbornly. She sighed, resigned. Then she looked up at his face and laughed.

"Nice hat."

"…Thanks."

.

.

.

Shinju sat quietly on a stool in the infirmary, watching Law carefully wash and bandage her fingers. She remembered when she had awoken in this room, months ago, not knowing what would happen to her, and expecting the worst. Biting her lip, she finally broke the silence to voice something that had been on her mind.

"You know…there was a time when I though _you_ were going to do what he—what Lord Torgrün—tried to do."

His expression didn't change, but his hand slipped on the bandage he was tying, bumping the sore edge of her finger. He muttered an apology, retying it correctly.

He was silent for a few moments, then told her, "There were women in my childhood…who were kind to me. It was…unusual. I've never forgotten. Immoral I may be in the eyes of the world, but I don't do things like that." The words left his mouth with difficulty; he had never spoken of his past before, and she had not dared to ask.

Rising, he went to the counter and poured a thick, syrupy liquid from a glass bottle into a little plastic cup. Handing it to her, he said, "Drink."

"What is it?"

"Medicine. It will help you sleep. Drink it."

"I don't think I'll need help sleeping…"

He let out an impatient breath and closed his eyes in exasperation. "Just _drink_ it Shinju, it's not poison, I promise."

Glancing at the stuff suspiciously, she downed it in one gulp, and then made a face at the artificial cherry flavor. "Blech! Tastes terrible."

He placed the empty cup on the counter, then, ignoring her protests, he picked her up and set her on an infirmary bed. Without thinking about it, without planning it, he leaned down a little more and carefully, almost cautiously, pressed his lips against hers. Too startled to do anything, she held very still.

He felt her tense, trembling, and knew that if he wasn't gentle, if he frightened her even a little, she might draw back or even lash out at him. Something in his Heart seemed to fall into place, like a puzzle piece. All the answers just clicked; the reason she fascinated him, the reason he'd hated himself for hurting her, the reason he felt like dismembering any man who so much as looked at her…kissing her just felt so _right_, he felt as if he'd known it all along, just hadn't realized it.

Drawing away reluctantly, he straightened slowly; his eyes hidden in the shadow of his hat. "You need to rest. I'll check on you later."

Shinju watched him cross the room and close the door quietly as he left.

She pressed one shaking hand to her lips. She had dated a few boys back on Sabaody, had shared kisses occasionally, but this was different. _They_ had been boys. Law was a man. His touch had made fire race through her body, had made her both thrilled and afraid. She shivered as her mind recalled exactly what it had felt like…The medicine was taking effect; her eyelids felt heavy. It was too much to think about now…

.

.

Law leaned against the wall outside the infirmary door, staring at the shadowy ceiling and trying to sort out what he felt. He had been with women before, of course—one alluring look from his eyes was usually enough to bring any pretty thing he met at a tavern to the palm of his hand—but those 'relationships' were never meant to last more than one night.

But now…The one he had originally thought of as a child was becoming a full-fledged woman, in control of herself and her goals, so fast it was alarming; and it was obvious that he had started thinking of her as such before he even realized it. The thought of being with a woman who knew what she did and didn't want, who was clever and stubborn and had opinions that would have to matter to him was an idea that was completely foreign to him. He remembered the look in her eyes just now; they had not been shy or vulnerable, but questioning, almost challenging.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, removing his hat. This was becoming more than he ever thought it would be. One thing he knew for sure: he wasn't going to forget the heavy sweet taste of that sleeping-medicine for a long, long time.

.

_She walked into his dreams that night. He barely knew that he was dreaming, she was just suddenly there; wearing a thin silk nightdress that hugged her slender body and seemed to glow with a faint white radiance. Without hesitation, the dream-Shinju approached him, placed her hands on either side of his face and drew him into a deep kiss. A burning hunger awoke in him; he pushed her down onto his bed and slid himself over her. Running one hand exultantly over her stomach, he felt her muscles tense. For one moment he met her eyes and realized with a twinge of discomfort that they were not the eyes of the real Shinju; they were blank and thoughtless. He brushed it aside, he could still feel her, she was so real…Pressing himself to her, he tilted her head back and kissed her passionately, he could feel every curve of her body against his…with mounting excitement, he ran a hand down her back, undoing her nightdress…but suddenly she broke his kiss. Looking at her, he saw with a shock like cold water that they _were_ her eyes now; fierce and intelligent, they pierced directly into his Heart, seeing and knowing everything within. He found himself being pushed gently away from her, she was rising, backing away from him…he reached for her, trying to tell her to wait, but no sound would pass his lips…_

He awoke sweating, his breath ragged. He could still feel everything; her lips, her body, everything. Sitting up, he cradled his head in his hands. He rarely slept deeply, he _never _dreamed, but it had been so real…

What had he gotten himself into?

.


	9. The Forest of Illusions: Part I

Hello everybody! I'm sorry for the looong wait, I'm sure i worried you, but I have the first instalment of a ginourmous _3 part_ chapter for you! Onepiece's 4 week break had me down in the dumps for a while, so it took a while to write. Thank you Vampire Revan, Moonlight Calls, Aurora Nightz, xXFireFistAceXx, Strawberry Captain, Muttlover, Cookie Krisp, Jackie-O'-Lantern, DragonDancer93, Jen567, and Hetti for the awesome reviews! and a special thank-you for Vampire Revan for using the words "dum-dum". That's adorable. And it's now Shinju's favorite insult; she uses it all the time on aaron and Kenta.

I'd like to quickly fix a misconception from the previous chapter: Lord Torgrun, was, in fact, _not_ an actual king. He's based off noblemen in the dark-ages, who had full authority of all the serfs on their lands. And becuase Torgrun's a big poo-face, he abused his power and acted like a king. Oda makes a point of making most noblemen in his story bad people, so I decided to build off that. Okay, enough of my chatting, enjoy the chapter (and please review!)

OnePiece is the creation of Eiichiro Oda

The Forest of Illusions Part I

When Shinju awoke, the faint blue-grey light of approaching dawn was starting to filter through the small round windows of the infirmary. She couldn't tell how many minutes passed as she lay, warm under a blanket on a hard little bed, and listened to the soft hum that came from the walls, and the distant sounds of the crew moving around in other parts of the submarine. She felt quiet and peaceful, and let her mind rest, thinking of nothing in particular. Eventually, though, she rose and stretched. She'd always been an early riser; it was good to get a head start on the day, and she didn't want let herself get lazy.

Sneaking out of the infirmary that morning was no trouble—Law, she was told, was at the castle, supervising the plunder of its considerable wealth, and the crew remaining really couldn't do anything to stop her aside from give her a few stern warnings. She waved them off with a smile. She felt fine; there was no reason to lie around all day. It's not like she was the fragile type: she'd always hated it when people treated her that way. She'd been through bad things before, and had always taken care of herself.

Standing in front of her bathroom mirror, Shinju noticed as she ran a brush through her hair that she felt cheerful this morning…more so than usual. And was it her imagination, or did she look prettier too? Her pearly-white hair shone, her rose-petal lips were softly curved into a beautiful smile, her skin was smooth and radiant, and her body felt fit and lithe and so…_alive._ Taking a deep, happy breath, she realized that there were also butterflies in her stomach.

Feeling her injured fingers twinge painfully, she looked at the bandages covering them, and felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered being in the infirmary last night…how _he _had gently washed and cared for her hands, how he leaned closer to her as she sat on the bed, his warm breath on her face, and the way she'd felt her pulse quicken…Perhaps this unusual sense of excitement and beauty she was feeling today had something to do with…

Stopping herself mid-thought, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her reflection and rearranged her features into a small scowl, admonishing herself sternly.

_Stop being ridiculous Shinju. You're only happy because…It's just because your plan is going so well. Nothing more. _

She knew that wasn't quite true, but it's what she told herself all the same. Thinking about the alternative possibilities was more than a little uncomfortable.

The plan she was referring to was the one she'd realized in the dream she'd had on her first night here: the White Tiger, who had been her companion on many adventures in the land of sleep and daydream when she was younger, had appeared to her. In his eyes she had seen the knowledge of how to overcome her situation, how to rise above it and, eventually, regain her freedom. She knew that he spoke directly from her Heart, and she trusted that completely.

On the other hand, having a good idea and actually carrying it out are two very different things. Following the path she had chosen often meant doing things that took a lot of responsibility, such as controlling her temper, accepting things that couldn't be changed and just being mature in general. It was a good thing that the trials she had endured those six years alone on her home island had beaten so much patience into her, or she might not be able to manage. But she would manage. She would _not _fail, and giving up was never something she considered.

However, all her brilliant wisdom and (in her opinion) exceptional patience was producing results far faster than she could have hoped it would, and she was starting to have feelings that she hadn't bargained on. No matter how hard she tried to tell herself otherwise, she knew in her Heart that it was an undeniable and distressing fact; the memory of what had happened in the infirmary last night was making her irrepressibly giddy, stupidly happy, and, to be frank, pleasantly tingly in places that had never been tingly before.

She felt a blush cover her cheeks that had nothing to do with the facial cleanser she was using. God damn it all. One thing remained an Incontrovertible Truth Above All Others: she must not, _could_ not become romantically involved with Trafalgar Law.

It was simply…unthinkable. He was arrogant, selfish, unfeeling…everything she _didn't _like in a guy! He was holding her captive. Being…_involved_ with her captor would make her hardly better than a prostitute, a-a _pet._ She may wear a collar on her neck, but she would _never_ willingly give him more of herself—her pride could not allow it.

She could just imagine it: the smug, superior look that would appear on Law's face if she allowed herself to be seduced by him, the smirks and mutterings of his crew when her back was turned; perhaps they'd wonder what she was like in bed or joke about the odds of their captain _sharing_ her.

Now brushing her teeth, her scowl deepened as these images formed in her mind. It didn't matter if his kiss felt…_good,_ her body didn't call the shots here, she did. Anyway, she liked _nice_ guys, and by no stretch of the imagination or bending of the truth could Law be called nice. Nice looking, but not nice.

A nagging little voice in the back of her mind informed her that the emotions she had felt in his Heart when he had kissed her had not been arrogant or smug, but gentle and almost afraid, and she might be judging him and his crew too harshly. The crew could be nothing but happy for them if they were together, Law could treat her with genuine fondness.

She squashed the thought. Fondness or no fondness, she was a prisoner, and he was her jailor. Until or unless he gave her her rightful freedom, she couldn't even consider him to be a friend. And a woman should always trust a man as her friend before making him her lover.

Feeling much better after organizing her chaotic thoughts and feelings into a nice, solid resolution, she placed the last pin in her hair and straightened her shoulders, ready to face the day.

.

.

Meandering through the rain-washed streets, Shinju made her way towards the castle, Bepo following her like a very fuzzy shadow. Apparently Law had decreed that she be under the supervision of at least one crew member at all times, and Bepo was now officially her own personal guard-bear.

She was surprised to see the change that had come over the town. The sun had broken through the clouds and shone off the dark wet stones, and she saw that, in the light, the buildings were not nearly as ugly as they had seemed. Every here and there was a splash of color: a tree growing in a backyard, a window box full of flowers that she hadn't noticed in the rain. The people, too, were different; news of the cruel Lord Torgrün's demise had spread, and neighbors greeted each other happily as children played in the street, shrieking with delight at the sight of the "pretty pirate girl" and her "pet" bear.

The place was called Kithtor, and Torgrün had had, as a nobleman, complete authority over the 'peasants' who lived there. They had to pay him taxes, including the best portions of the meager crops they raised on farms hidden in the surrounding cliffs, and meat from the animals they hunted. Even though the pirates were taking all the treasure, they were happy just to be able to eat their own food. Due to the town's isolated nature, it would be some time before the king of this country heard of the death of the nobleman, and, hopefully, if another man was sent in replacement, he wouldn't be as bad as the last.

The dungeons of Grimtor Castle had contained a number of miserable men who had attempted to rebel against their lord, or had displeased him in some other way. They had been released and reunited with their families. Shinju had to bite her lip and look away, fighting the burning feeling in her eyes, as wives joyfully embraced their husbands and laughing fathers swept their children into their arms. If only she could find her own father…

.

The large double doors of the castle stood open, hanging slightly off their hinges after the attack, and it was cool and drafty in the entrance hall. After yesterday's events, Shinju felt a bit creeped-out here, but she pushed the emotion aside. There was no sign of Torgrün's thoroughly-defeated thugs; she had no idea what had happened to the armored men. Various Heart Pirates were milling about, grinning to each other and joking in high-spirits as they carried large boxes and sacks of valuables, divesting the castle of everything sellable that their ship could hold. Nodding and smiling at those who looked at her, she wondering why they seemed so intrigued and curious. Then she remembered; they must have heard of that strange power she'd used on Torgrün. She'd have to ask Law about that, the crew had not given her any straight answers, though she could _tell_ they knew something she didn't.

"Shinju!" Aaron strolled over and set the box he was carrying in the pile next to the door. "You're up early. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thank you." She smiled warmly. Aaron had been the nicest to her since her arrival amongst the Heart Pirates. "Are you guys finding anything…interesting?" she could see what looked like solid gold candle holders poking out of one of the boxes.

He grinned wickedly. "Oh, lots of interesting things. The fat old fart was filthy rich."

Her answering smile was a bit wry. "That's nice." She did not approve of piracy, but she had to admit that the corrupt nobleman had been as bad as the worst kind of pirate. If only the villagers weren't so poor…

"Ah, I just remembered. Captain wanted you to know that there's a library here you might be interested in. He's already there, looking for info on the next island. It's over that way" he jerked a thumb towards a door, "you'll have to poke around and find it; I gotta get back to work."

"That's great! Thanks! C'mon, Bepo." She hurried off in the direction he had indicated, Bepo shuffling along after her.

A whole library! And she could read as much as she wanted! She hadn't had anything to read except newspapers since her capture. She _loved_ books; a good book was a whole world you could escape into whenever you needed a break from this one.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, a growing sense of excited apprehension filling her. Law was there…she didn't want to see him again so soon. Maybe she should wait until he left…She shook her head crossly, scowling at her cowardice.

_What's _wrong _with me? Thinking of running away just at the idea of being in the same room with him!_

"Is something bothering you, Shinju?" Bepo stopped walking and looked at her closely.

"Huh? Oh. No, it's nothing."

"You're blushing."

She sighed and started walking again. Of all the times for him to be observant. "Just drop it Bepo, okay?"

"Okay"

She _really_ didn't want him sticking his nose into this. What if he said something about it to Law? The bear could be surprisingly intuitive at times.

_I have to get a hold of myself. If even _Bepo_ notices that I'm acting strangely, someone _else_ might notice, and know what it means. Not that it means anything. I mean, they might _think_ it means something. And it doesn't!_

She shook her head again to clear it. She didn't normally prattle this much, or this nervously. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

.

They wandered around a bit through the narrow, dark corridors, before finally coming to a creaky door that opened to a large, high-ceilinged room filled with bookshelves. Tall windows on either side let in dusty shafts of sunlight.

Peering cautiously inside, Shinju saw no one. Walking softly through the quiet isles, she looked at the cobwebs stretched like thin veils over the books and hanging from the unlit chandelier. Little puffs of dust rose from the carpet at every footstep, and the air smelled like old, dry paper; the scent tickled her nose. She wasn't really surprised that Lord Torgrün had not been an avid reader. Smiling slightly to herself, Shinju pretended she was exploring an ancient, mysterious treasure vault. Books seemed more precious to her than gold and jewels. Still, it was something _else _in this room that was causing her to proceed so stealthily.

Following her example, Bepo trod silently, wondering why she was creeping along like a lemming who thought an owl was nearby. Should he be alert for enemies, as she appeared to be? But he could smell his captain in this room, so surely they were safe. Maybe he should mention that to her, since she seemed scared. On the other hand, she might scold him if he made noise…

Shinju heard the rustle of someone turning the page of a book, and looked around a shelf to see (with a strange little thrill that she didn't understand) Law standing near the wall, a large tome open in his hands and his brow furrowed slightly as he read. This was a side of him she'd never seen before; even though, as a doctor, he must have experience with studying out of books, she just never imagined him as the bookish type.

_I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, _she thought as she watched him_. I know he's cool-headed and responsible—he likes to take care of his men. Looking up information on the voyage ahead is something he'd feel obligated to do._

If it weren't for the tattoos on his arms and the sword propped against the wall next to him, he might look like an ordinary college student, rather than an infamous pirate captain…

Fighting the cowardly impulse to turn around and sneak away in the opposite direction, she hesitated a moment, then quickly turned to a shelf and began examining the books, needing something to do to make her look less awkward and not wanting to be caught looking at him. Forgetting her misgivings for a moment, she sighed happily as she ran her hands over the cloth-bound volumes, wondering where she should start. Choosing a book at random, she flipped it open and turned through the pages, already immersed.

"Shinju. I was wondering when you'd show up."

Her head snapped up, and she saw a smile slowly stretch his lips, his storm-grey eyes glinting with mischief as they met her own wide-eyed, wary gaze. It suddenly struck her as ridiculous that she could ever have though he could look ordinary.

When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Are you not feeling well, after…"

—she felt her stomach clench with sudden embarrassment. Was she that obvious?—

"…after what happened with Torgrün?"

Oh. "No, I'm…I'm fine." Well, what had happened with Torgrün wasn't bothering her, anyway. She'd barely thought of it all day. Someone _else_ had been on her mind…She quickly turned her eyes back to the book in her hands, having only glanced at him for one second, and cursed the blush that threatened to appear on her face. She hid herself behind the thick book, pretending to be nonchalant as her mind raced.

_Say something! No, don't say anything! And for heavens sake stop being so nervous!_

He tried again. "Do you like books, Shinju?"

"M-hmm."

Normally she would have given a more expressive answer, flavored with one of her pert little quips or half-serious humor. He was probably noticing her unusual reticence, and her mind scrambled through a thousand things to say, but couldn't pick a single one. She frowned and pursed her lips angrily. If only he would just go away!

"You can bring some with you. As many as you like."

Her frown cleared instantly into a smile as she looked up at him, not hesitantly this time. "Are you serious? That's—!" suddenly she frowned again, biting her lip. She wasn't a pirate. She wasn't a thief. And she wanted to save the last of her gold for a real emergency. "…but…they're not mine. I—I can't just—_take_ them."

Law rolled his eyes and made an impatient 'tch' sound, like a disdainful cat. As stubborn as ever; she was _always_ like this at the mere _mention_ of piratical activities.

"Shinju—look around." He waved a hand to indicate the dilapidated room. "How long do you think it's been since anyone's even set foot in here? And I doubt that the villagers can read. At least if _you_ took a few, someone would be enjoying them."

Hmm. He _did_ have a point. "Well…" She chewed her bottom lip, staring at the floor and placing one curled finger against her mouth as she often did when she was struggling over a dilemma. Finally she looked up, a bright smile stealing across her face. "Well, in that case, I guess I'll have to take you up on that offer. C'mon, Bepo, let's pick some good ones!"

He leaned leisurely against the wall and his eyes followed her as she flitted from shelf to shelf, pulling down books and chatting animatedly to Bepo about her favorite subjects. The small smile never left his lips.

.

After what seemed like no time at all, she was carrying a heavy stack of books that almost entirely obstructed her vision. Shoving them into Bepo's arms, she said "Here, take these to my room on the sub."

"Hey, who said you could order me arou—"

"Take them!"

"Yes ma'am."

"What an excellent bear you are!" she said winsomely, patting his paw. "Hurry along now."

"…Yes ma'am…"

Her previous anxiety was forgotten with the prospect of owning her very own books; the hours dwindled by as she ignored Law entirely and continued browsing through the shelves. Bepo didn't return, probably fearing that she would make him carry more of the heavy volumes.

She had just put away a book when a bright blue one on a higher shelf caught her eye. Try as she might, she couldn't reach it; her fingers only barely scraped the bottom. Wishing she was a little taller, she was just considering looking for a stool or chair when she almost squeaked like a mouse with surprise. Law had approached on noiseless feet and stood directly behind her. She could feel the warmth of his nearness, and his hand brushed hers as he pulled out the book she'd been reaching for and handed it to her, smiling. She was suddenly aware of her pulse throbbing wildly through her veins.

So quietly that she almost couldn't hear herself, she muttered her thanks and quickly buried her nose in the book, hoping he'd take the hint and give her some space. She looked up, frowning slightly, when she felt his amusement.

"What exactly is so funny?" she asked, annoyed.

A lopsided grin touched his face, and his eyes crinkled at the edges. "Your book is upside-down."

She looked down. It was. Drawing a deep breath and feeling her face redden, she suddenly wished that chucking the book at him wouldn't be quite so immature. She froze when he placed a hand under her chin, his thumb brushing gently across her lower lip. His gaze burned into her as his eyes silently laughed at her sudden breathlessness, and he clearly enjoyed the feeling of her skin against his fingertips.

"You sure are cute when you blush, love. I've found what I need, and I'm going back to the sub. Make sure you have someone with you when you leave."

She snapped out of her stunned silence when he released her. "I'm not your _love_, you asshole! And _don't_ touch me!"

He only laughed softly as he left.

.

.

It was Aaron who accompanied her when she left the castle later that evening. As easygoing as ever, he seemed oblivious of her crankiness. The happiness she'd woken up to had evaporated completely; she was embarrassed and upset, and angry with herself for being embarrassed and upset. And she was annoyed with Law. _Very_ annoyed with Law. The less she saw of him, the better.

"So what was it you wanted to do in town?"

"I need to pick up some clothes I bought yesterday. And maybe I could find someone to talk to…"

"You have plenty of people to talk to!"

"I mean _normal _people. And girls. I _need_ to have the company of other females every once and a while. For my sanity's sake."

"I know what you mean," Aaron agreed, nodding wisely. "I could use a little female companionship, too."

She shot him a scathing look. "_You'd_ like the companionship of a vagina." She said scornfully. "That's not what I'm talking about."

A look of indignant shock crossed his face, and he pretended to stumble, clutching his hat to his head. "Yowza! Tone it down a notch there, sister!"

"What, have a problem with me saying va—"

—"Shhh!" he pressed a finger to her lips, glancing around fearfully. The last thing he needed was his captain, or anyone for that matter, to walk in on him and Shinju discussing reproductive organs.

Turning onto the street that contained the shop she'd visited yesterday, Shinju picked up the parcels she'd rather rudely been forced to leave behind. The old woman who ran the shop had held onto them, and she said she was glad that she was able to return them to the girl. Shinju found this woman to be much more animated and cheerful than she had been; Torgrüns death had done nothing but good for her and the other townsfolk.

Aaron tapped his foot and sighed repeatedly when she was talking to the lady, until finally she said goodbye and they left the shop.

"Soo…captain seemed pretty cheerful after he left the library today. Why was that?"

"How should I know?" she snapped.

"Jeez, forget I asked. You're so grumpy. Guess it's just that time of m—"

Abruptly, her face was mere inches from his own, and he could have sworn he saw a demonic red glint in her eyes. An aura of darkness surrounded her.

"_Make one crack about my menstrual cycle, and I'll make you wish you were dead."_

He put his hands up in surrender, backing away slowly.

_Men! They're all _idiots!

.

Later at dinner, when Aaron took a seat next to his closest compatriot, Kenta, he muttered, "Watch out for Shinju today." He kept an eye on her as she sat down, rigid and frowning, with a plate of food, then jerked his head in her direction and mouthed "_pms" _to his friend. He instantly put an innocent smile on his face when Shinju glared at him. Kenta rolled his eyes.

She kept her eyes on her food, concentrating every particle of her mind on ignoring the man at the head of the table, but when he laid a book open in front of himself and leaned forward to address his crew with a conspiratorial smile on his face, she couldn't help but pay attention.

"Most of what I found was useless. All accept this account of one man who traveled to an island not far from this one:

_To all who would travel unto the shrouded land of Rhith, veiled forever by eternal mist, even if ye count yourself among the greatest of men, dare ye not to set foot in the abominable place therein: the Forest of Illusions. Seek ye not the treasure there. Though the swains that abide there be uncouth, heed their warnings: all who seek the power of the stone shall be forever lost; their minds eaten by insanity, their bodies eaten by dust, their spirits wandering forevermore."_

A small silence followed this ominous pronouncement, then Vash said, "So…there's treasure there, right?" to which Law and a number of others merely replied with reckless grins.

Shinju nearly banged her head on the table in disgust. They already _had _treasure, how much more did they want? If this traveler's word could be trusted, this 'Forest of Illusions' place sounded pretty dangerous. _Come to think of it, that's probably the only reason they're so interested._ She told herself glumly. And what did it mean by 'stone'? Was it a very valuable stone, a gem perhaps? But would that count as a whole treasure? What was its power? She found that she was curious in spite of herself, and even a little excited. _How strong have I become, really?_

Law leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, a casual smile on his face as he listened to his crew's excited chatter. Only one word of the traveler's account had really caught his attention: power. _I'm going to need that—and plenty of it—on the road ahead. And if I can find something that'll give me a little head start…well, why not?_

.

.

The next morning, as they prepared to depart, Shinju swallowed a bit of her pride for a good cause. She pleaded and cajoled, and Law watched, head tilted slightly and a small smile on his mouth and in his eyes, until finally—after she'd said please many times—he turned to one of his crew and ordered that a portion of treasure be left behind for the villagers. The man was surprised, to say the least, but hurried to do as his captain bid.

As the pirates set off, the townspeople crowded around outside the village gates to wave goodbye and shout their thanks.

"This is unnatural." Kenta grumbled as he and Shinju stood by the rail. Some of the other men were also wearing similar expressions of disquiet.

"Aw, come on," Shinju laughed, happily waving back to the crowd. "There's nothing wrong with being liked—it's a good thing!"

"It's unnatural." He repeated. They stood in silence for a while, watching the island fade into the distance behind them. Then he said, "He's changed, because of you. The Captain, I mean. Before, he'd never have given any treasure to those villagers. It's bad for his reputation."

She shrugged. "He shouldn't worry so much about what other people think. I though he didn't like following rules."

Kenta scowled. "It's not the same thing."

"It seems pretty similar to me." She cast him a sidelong glance. "Is it—you guys don't mind it, do you? The change?"

He thought for a moment, and then said, "No. He seems…less _harsh_, now. Not just how he deals with others, but how he thinks of himself."

She wasn't sure what to make of that, but at least it was encouraging.

.

Shinju had resolved to avoid Law for the time being, and figured that she could remain relatively comfortable if she put the thought of what had happened between them out of her mind. Law, however, had different ideas. He clearly _was _thinking about what had happened, and he let her know it in a thousand tiny ways. Whenever he wasn't busy, (and it was amazing how much time he seemed to have) he'd find her; whether she was painting in her room, sitting at her favorite observation window, catching some air on deck or reading at the dinner table. No doubt remembering how she had demanded that he _not _touch her, he'd always have some opportunity or excuse to do just that; his hand brushing lingeringly over her face or hair, or resting casually on her knee or shoulder. He was making sure she was aware that he hadn't forgotten their kiss, and that he wasn't going to let her forget it either.

His eyes were different now, when he watched her. Sometimes there was a gentleness in them that made her catch her breath, and still other times their grey depths held a smoldering want, and a slow smile would creep over his face. She would flush, and if she didn't find somewhere else to be quickly, on of his hands would reach out to touch her. She noticed that, perversely, the more uncomfortable he made her, the happier he seemed to be.

With rueful regret, Shinju remembered how, after his little outburst of emotion that time she'd been shot at Sem Perayaan, she'd taken so much enjoyment in irritating him. Her own outburst in the library had given him a similar glimpse of _her_ emotions. She was sure when she saw his smug grin that he was getting even; now it was _his_ turn to pester _her_, a thing he did with an enthusiasm that was very nearly sadistic. Swallowing her irritation, she stubbornly put all her effort into acting as though she didn't care; it was pretty much all she _could_ do about it. Grinning, he took up the challenge with undisguised relish, and before she realized it, it had turned into a sort of game; he awarded himself points whenever he broke through her pretend indifference.

The mounting tension between Shinju and Law did not go unnoticed by the crew, of course, and they found it to be highly entertaining. They snickered and grinned as she passed, and none of her evil glares could completely quell their teasing. Shinju guessed that it wasn't every day they saw their captain engaged in such an interesting battle of wills, and wondered if they were taking bets. They probably were.

.

Becoming increasingly flustered with their unofficial game, Shinju spent more time than ever in the training room. He rarely had an opportunity to bother her there, but she discovered that she couldn't _really_ relax anywhere—unless she wanted to spend all day hiding in her bathroom; there wasn't anywhere else that he wouldn't sneak up on her unexpectedly. She _did_ have a less timid reason for training more often, however: she wanted to draw out the power she had used on Torgrün.

"I just—can't—_get_ it!" She gritted between punches. It was fairly late at night, and she was the only one in the training room, well, except for one intrusive observer. She'd been focusing with all her might on recalling the exact feeling she'd experienced when she'd first used 'haki', but the sandbag that was taking her aggression was remaining infuriatingly solid, instead of exploding, or flying across the room, or _something._

Finally she flopped down to sit on the floor, exhausted. "I _know_ I can use the power—I remember what it felt like—but I can't get it to come out again!"

Law, who'd been leaning against the wall as he watched her, sighed. "You won't bring it out in an ordinary training room. Your situation has to be desperate. Learning to control it will take time."

A crafty expression crossed her face. "So, I need to be in danger for it to work, huh…" She smiled as her imagination went into overdrive, picturing herself standing victorious over fearsome monsters. Perhaps she could find some way to save a few hapless pirates from certain doom…that would sure show them…

He narrowed his eyes, suddenly looking at her very closely. "_No,_ I know what you're thinking, and you need to stop. Don't even _think_ of coming up with some mad scheme to get into trouble behind my back."

Striding over to her, he tugged her to her feet.

"You get into enough trouble without trying." His hands moved to her hips, pulling her closer to him. She shivered, recognizing that look in his eyes. His grip was warm and firm on the bare skin just above the waistband of her sweatpants. She felt as if the blush that had started on her face was spreading over her whole body.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you…" His soft voice now held a dark, alluring quality, and that familiar, languorous, half-mocking smile spread across his mouth; she thought of a cat that was just biting you in play, but at any moment might start biting for real.

"L—um, don't." remembering his distaste for being given orders, she added through gritted teeth, "please."

She tried uselessly to remove his grasp, but his hands wouldn't budge. He was too close; she could see the shadows under his eyes so clearly, his eyelashes, the skin of his lips stretching taught as his smile widened…The warmth of his body and the expectant tension mounting between them made her tremble. His eyes, also, held her and wouldn't let go.

"Shinju…why won't you say my name?"

She drew in a deep breath, trying to ignore his scent. "Mr. Trafalgar, I would prefer it if you wouldn't—"

"—that's not what I meant and you know it—"

Her face was taking on that obstinate look—the stubborn set of her mouth and angry flash of her eyes—that meant that argument would get him nowhere. With a resigned sigh, he let her go. He watched her cast him one swift glance before she hurried out of the room.

_Why_ couldn't she just let herself be seduced, like _most _women would have? Trust her to be difficult on all accounts. The way he couldn't stop himself from watching her, the compulsion to organize his days so he would have time to be near her, was starting to make him feel like he had some sort of addiction; every encounter only left him wanting more. Whenever he had a spare moment, his feet would automatically take him to wherever she happened to be; when he couldn't be with her, his thought almost always were. He was almost too preoccupied to concentrate on his duties as captain. What would his men think if they knew just how thoroughly he was distracted by one silly little girl? He had to do something about it.

Her cold, fragile-seeming beauty, like the steel of a blade, the flicker of emotions she kept hidden from him behind her willful eyes, and her faint scent of jasmine and spice continued to haunt his dreams, always just beyond his reach. He was far too proud and self-assured to admit that he was captivated; the word "love" never entered his mind—he couldn't allow it to. It would make him too…vulnerable. He would just have to seduce her, that's all. Simple. She'd give in, in the end, and his problems would be solved. They'd both be happy.

She couldn't resist him forever.

.

Shinju's hands shook slightly as she let herself into her room, and the butterflies were back in her stomach. She could still feel his touch…

Closing the door forcefully and wishing that she could lock it, she leaned against it, trying to breathe slowly. That time had been even worse than the others. The powerful emotions that she'd felt in his Heart and saw in his gaze made her afraid. It felt as if, at the slightest push, he might lose his control over them, but she knew that it was something else that truly frightened her: the fact that, deep inside, she half wanted him to.

.

She awoke suddenly in the dead of night, sitting bolt-upright, a horrible thrill of fear coursing though her. At first she didn't understand what was making her feel this way; then the realization struck her: someone was _holding_ her heart!

To Be continued!


	10. The Forest of Illusions Part II

Yo-ho me hearties! I've got a nice long chapter for you. Thank you Mistress Wiggle, Vampire Revan, NatRatty, Jen567, DragonDancer93, , aurla0, and Regsd for reviewing.

I'm still working on Part III but will have it up as soon as possible. Enjoy!

One Piece is the creation of Eiichiro Oda

The Forest of Illusions Part II

Last time…

… She awoke suddenly in the dead of night, sitting bolt-upright, a horrible thrill of fear coursing though her. At first she didn't understand what was making her feel this way; then the realization struck her: someone was _holding_ her heart!...

.

Violently wrenching off the bedcovers, she leapt up and practically threw herself against the door to Law's room, under which she could see a thin strip of light. Banging on it, she yelled "What the _hell _are you _doing_!"

The unlocked door swung open, and she stumbled in to find him sitting calmly at the edge of his bed, fully clothed, save for his hat. His ink-black hair was tousled and his shadowy expression pensive and almost sleepy. She saw with a swooping feeling in the pit of her stomach that he was staring at something in his hands, something that was alive, something that was a part of her...It was beating at a frantic tempo against the warmth of his skin, like a trapped bird fluttering behind the bars of its cage. Just looking at it was making her dizzy. She could _feel_ his hands, where no hands would ever naturally be.

Before she could catch her breath enough to speak, he murmured, "I've always thought it strange that most people believe that the inner workings of the human body are repulsive or frightening." His eyes were almost dreamy as he contemplated the object in his gentle grip. "I find them to be fascinating: intricate, delicate; fragile and yet so resilient …"

She was momentarily astonished by where she was and what she was hearing; standing in the 'Surgeon of Death's bedroom, listening to him talk almost fondly of the mysteries of the flesh—she had always assumed that he was a surgeon _because_ other people found it frightening. She had never thought that there might be other reasons…

She snapped out of her brief reverie, remembering why she was angry. "That's nice and everything"—she managed to choke out—"but why are you—why are you—" she couldn't make the words come out. He seemed to take her meaning, though.

His eyes flicked in her direction before returning, almost shyly, to his hands. "I couldn't sleep…and I wanted to see you…" He sounded almost confused by it.

"Oh, I see"—she was torn between exasperation and hysteria—"a fine way to wake me up, just _manhandle_ my internal organs, nothing wrong with that—"

A slight frown creased his brow. "I'm not hurting you…"

She gaped at him as if she'd never seen anyone quite as stupid. "It's not _comfortable, _you ass!" Her jaw and hands were clenched, her eyes bright.

"Oh." He looked as if he hadn't even considered that possibility. "Well, in that case…"

Rising gracefully, he went behind his desk and opened a cupboard with a small key. She didn't know what kind of container he kept it in, but when she felt his hands release her, she exhaled shakily with relief, and could finally relax. The adrenaline remaining in her system left her feeling weak and jittery.

He lay down on his bed, his hands behind his head and his eyes half-closed as they settled on her. She was abruptly very aware that she was wearing only her nightgown, and that her snow-white hair tumbled in disarray over almost-bare shoulders. She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself.

"Why are you so stubborn, Shinju?" she wasn't sure if he was talking about her refusal to join the crew, or of something else. "Defiance is a bitter thing to have as your only keepsake…"

She raised her chin a fraction of an inch higher, a grim smile touching her lips. "I don't mind bitter. It makes the sweet things sweeter."

"Are there sweet things?"

"For someone with imagination and creativity? Always."

He closed his eyes completely and smiled. "Every time I talk to you, I like you a little more."

"That's reassuring." She'd regained her confident tone. "I hope you've had your fill of conversation tonight, because I'm going back to bed." She turned before leaving and added, "Oh, and if you want to wake me up again, just knock, okay?"

As she shut the door behind her, she wondered if he was losing what sanity he had. She didn't know that he was wondering the same thing.

.

.

There was a palpable excitement in the air a few days later; the weather had stabilized, and they were (hopefully) approaching the mysterious island of Rhith and the treasure that was (supposedly) hidden there.

Shinju couldn't help but feel excited with the rest of them: _this _was the kind of piracy you read about in adventure books; landing on unknown shores and braving danger to find treasure. As long as there was no looting or harming of citizens involved, she was eager to go along.

Sneaking quietly out of her room, Shinju planned to head to the control room to watch the island come in sight. If she went stealthily enough, maybe she'd avoid…

A door opened along the hall, and her hopes plummeted.

Out stepped Sir Smirkalot himself; he glanced to the right and left as he entered the hall, and that furtive little smile stole across his face as his eyes caught her trying to sneak away. She glared and gritted her teeth in response. She was _really _getting sick of this.

"Where are you off to, Miss Shinju?" he easily kept pace beside her.

"To the moon. Why don't you go ahead of me, and I'll catch up?"

He chuckled. "I'm guessing you're going to your favorite observation window to get a look at the next island. I'll go with you."

"Don't you have anything better to do than follow me around all the time, Mr. Pirate?"

His smile became a grin, and he raised his eyebrows, giving her a mock-affronted look. "What makes you think that I'm following you? It's perfectly natural for the captain to supervise landing at a new island."

She snorted disbelievingly. "Oh _sure_, and you just _happened_ to leave at the exact time I did. You're not fooling anyone."

He smirked even more. "Really, Shinju, you're getting awfully conceited just because I've been giving you a little attention—"

She was about to make an angry reply, when there was a shockingly loud, screeching crash, and the whole sub tilted sharply, throwing them both against the wall. An alarm blared, and there were muffled shouts and the sounds of things falling over somewhere.

"What the—?" Law wrapped one arm protectively around Shinju, completely ignoring her attempts to pull away from him. "That sounded like we hit a rock…if Kenta fell asleep at the wheel, I'm gonna cut off his—whoa!" The sub jerked crazily again, making them sway unsteadily. "Hold on!"

"Let _go_ of me!"

Still ignoring her protests, he held her close to him as they drew nearer to the door of the control room.

"What's going on here? What did we hit?" he demanded. Aaron and Neal were frantically pressing buttons and turning dials, occasionally shouting orders into the baby tele-snail at their panel. Kenta was tense and sweating.

"We didn't hit anything Captain—_it_ hit _us_! And there are more of them!"

"More of _what?_"

"Rocks! It's like they're _alive_! What is _with_ this island? Ahh!—" He spun the wheel wildly to the left, narrowly avoiding something large, lumpy and gray that had sped towards them at an alarming velocity out of the murky water.

Shinju stumbled over to the window, but it was impossible to see much.

"Stay calm," Law commanded his men, keeping his voice smooth and relaxed. In times like this, it was imperative that the captain show no fear at all. The men could do their own jobs better if he was unafraid. After three harrowing minutes of frenzied dodging, the danger seemed to have passed. Law gave the order to surface.

"There's the island, look!" Neal cried. Through the thick fog that hung in the air, they made out the form of a rocky beach. Peering out the window, Shinju saw what seemed to be tall, rough stone spires in the sea; they receded into the mist, apparently of their own will.

The Heart Pirates had arrived at Rhith.

.

.

"I'd like to get my hands on the man that wrote that paragraph."

Kenta was agitatedly pacing the deck, fog swirling in his wake, as he, Aaron, Bepo, Jean Bart and their captain waited for the others to finish preparing to disembark. Oremu, Oshemu, and a few others were making repairs on the sub, but that wasn't going to hold back the main company.

"He babbles about enchanted forests and never mentions giant bloody _rocks_ attacking you—seriously, if I ever meet the guy, I'm pulling off his fingernails, one by one."

"You might have to dig him up first," said Law composedly as he reclined against the wall, "seeing as the book was written about a hundred years ago. Also, he probably doesn't have fingernails anymore. You could pull out his teeth, I suppose."

"Maybe they were monsters that just _looked_ like rocks." Aaron suggested. "I mean, rocks can't actually be _alive_, it's impossible."

Law smiled and closed his eyes. "I wouldn't use the word impossible, if I were you."

They glanced at the door as Shinju emerged. Then Kenta stopped pacing, and he and Aaron stared at her, momentarily speechless.

She was wearing a white shirt; the neckline fell off her shoulders slightly, and the long sleeves billowed out to catch around her wrists. The dark-blue leather vest over it emphasized her slenderness, and a wide belt held her two best hunting blades at her hip. The dark fabric of her pants hugged her form, and tall leather boots fit snugly on her feet. She looked like a full fledged buccaneer. Her hair was, for once, unbound, and flowed in long, twining locks down to her waist.

"What?" she asked shyly in response to the sudden silence.

"U-um, you, you look—" almost involuntarily Kenta's eyes roved from her head to the tips of her booted toes, then he stole a quick glance at his captain (who was smiling nonchalantly, also observing the girl with an appreciative gaze) and he finished with "—nice."

Aaron nodded in agreement.

She twitched her shoulders in her signature shrug, and smiled. She'd once heard Arianna say that there was something about girls with long hair that made guys silly. Not that these guys weren't _always_ silly.

"I just though I'd look the part for this little adventure."

"You look a bit like Whitey Bay." Law commented.

"Who's Whitey Bay?" She made the mistake of looking into his grey eyes, and they caught and held her.

"A famous and beautiful female pirate-captain originally from the North Blue. She's an ally of the Whitebeard Pirates."

Shinju blushed slightly at the fact that he had basically said she was beautiful, and turned her back on them to lean against the rail. Her stupid stomach was full of butterflies yet again. _Honestly, what's wrong with me? It's just one silly little compliment. I'm blaming it all on the hormones; it isn't _my _fault_.

They were soon joined by Martino, Vash, and Gale. Together, the party set out for the mist-shrouded shore.

.

The white pebbles of the path crunched loudly beneath their feet, but the noise seemed muffled, rather than amplified, by the mist-laden silence around them. The fog was so heavy that they could hardly see each other, and their faces were bleached into a grey pallor in the dim light. Eddying currents in the mist made strange shapes that dissipated and re-formed whenever the eye tried to focus on them. Anything could be out there, just beyond their vision, and they wouldn't know until it was right on top of them…

The pirates and Shinju crowded a little closer together than necessary, staring around with eyes opened wide, although doing that didn't really help them see any better. Law strode confidently ahead, appearing to be completely unbothered by their surroundings, and his men straightened their shoulders a bit, trying to copy his elegant bravado. Shinju rolled her eyes and smiled.

The haze was so thick that they were almost surprised when they found themselves walking amongst small, squat houses at the edge of a village.

_Ugh…I can't even imagine living in such a dismal place…_Shinju thought with a shudder as she looked at the little thatch-roofed huts. Actually, she felt an apprehensive tightening in her stomach as the miserable place reminded her of _that_ village…where her mother had been born…

She gave herself a small shake. That part of her life was long over; she'd escaped. She was free from there, at least.

Law chose a house at random and knocked on the crude wooden door. It opened only a little, and a man's voice asked "Who's there?" in a tight, fearful kind of way.

"Pirates." Law replied. "We're looking for a place called 'The Forest of Illusions'. Do you know of it?"

The man drew back a little more, so they could only see one of his eyes peering out at them. Shinju had felt his fear when Law mentioned the place they were searching for.

"You want Old Hynaf, the shaman." He opened the door just a bit to point down the road. "Last house in the village." With that, he closed the door with a _snap_.

"Friendly locals, aren't they? So talkative." Aaron commented sarcastically.

.

The last house in the village was larger than the others, though calling it a house was a bit of a stretch. The roof was patchy, and the ramshackle walls had large gaps in them. As Law, Aaron, Kenta and Shinju entered, they noticed small lamps hanging from the ceiling, as well as feathers, beads, bunches of herbs, and strings of what Shinju hoped were animal bones. Something in a dark corner of the room was making a rustling, scratchy sound, like many bugs crawling over each other.

A small, thin, grey haired man was sitting on the floor, cross legged, with his eyes closed. He opened them and looked at Law unflinchingly. One of his eyes stared off to the left.

"You seek the forest, and the power that dwells there." It wasn't a question. His voice was dry and whispery, like branches scraping softly against a window at night.

"Yes."

"The people of Eneidiau avoid the forest, knowing it is evil. Those who stray amongst the trees rarely return. Do you still wish to go there?"

"Yes."

The old man rose and went to the corner from which the rustling noises were coming from. He turned back to them, holding a small cage made of twigs woven together. Inside the cage was a large blue beetle. It was scrambling desperately against the wall of its prison.

"When the people of this land travel, we bring with us a Du Glas beetle. You see how it is only crawling against one wall of its cage? It is no coincidence. All creatures of nature sense the presence in the forest, and stay away from it, but the Du Glas beetle feels it most strongly. Go in the opposite direction the beetle is crawling, and you will reach the forest."

"A living compass." Law murmured. "Ingenious."

Aaron muttered, "Not much of a compass" under his breath, but so quietly that only Shinju heard him.

"We'll need a few more of those."

The old man nodded.

"Shinju."

She stopped examining a skull hanging from the ceiling (it had interesting-looking horns) and turned towards the pirate captain. He wasn't looking at her.

"What?"

"Go back to the sub."

"_What?_"

His glance held a warning. "You heard me."

She could hardly believe this. "Wait a second—you can't send me back! I've been training all this time, I'm stronger now! How do expect me to learn if you never let me _do_ anything?" His expression didn't change. She felt anger boiling up inside her. "And if you were just going to send me back, why did you have me come along in the first place?"

"I think you'll find, Miss Shinju, that I can do whatever I want."

His eyes seemed to be measuring her, calculating, as if gauging her reaction. A smile curved his lips; it was cold and unkind, different from the ones he usually wore these days. Aaron and Kenta looked between the two of them, sensing trouble.

"I'm sorry you got all dressed up for nothing, princess, but this is no place for children."

She gasped at his arrogance, and was just about to unleash a venomous retort when he extended the hilt of his sword and used it prop up her chin, forcing her head back.

"It wasn't a request, Shinju. You can return to the sub yourself, or you can be dragged there. Which do you prefer?"

Her lips were pursed into a thin line and her fists trembled; for a moment it looked as if she was going to spit in his face. Then she spun on her heel and stormed out of the hut, slamming the door so hard that a few pieces of straw fell from the rafters. They heard her footsteps crunching loudly down the path.

.

Law split the company of eight into two groups; he, Aaron, Kenta, and Jean Bart would enter the forest first.

It was at this time that they made an unpleasant discovery: communication between the two groups was going to be impossible. He had been planning for each of the separate party's to have two baby tele-snails; one for contact between the groups, and one for contact within the groups, in case they got split up. But, like the beetle's they were using as compasses, the little snails went completely frantic at the 'presence' in the forest, and were unable to function at all. That put them all at an uncomfortable disadvantage. Law didn't like it, but he wasn't going to turn away from this mission without even trying. They'd just have to take the risks.

"If we don't return in 24 hours, you are to enter and search for us." He told Martino, Bepo, Vash, and Gale. "If you can't find us, and if things get dangerous, get yourselves out. Do _not _come in after us until 24 hours have passed." He fixed his eyes on each man in turn, and they shuffled a bit under his piercing stare. "There's no point in all of us getting lost in there." If he didn't make it, the crew would still have their navigator and enough men to pilot the sub. He just hoped they wouldn't do anything foolish without him there to keep an eye on them.

"Right. Good luck, Captain! Watch your back!" they were trying to pretend that they were less afraid than they were, smiling confidently, but all of them were filled with a nervous apprehension as they watched the four disappear into the mist, each holding a little cage containing a beetle.

.

.

They walked for nearly half an hour, saying nothing, until abruptly they were facing a dark, forbidding wall of tall black trees. Their branches twisted tortuously upward, as if pleading to the uncaring sky for warmth and light. A slight wind blew towards it, and threads of mist went ahead of the small company into the darkness, as if inviting them in.

They stared at it in silence for a moment, then Aaron said, "You know…if the trees here can come alive like the rocks can, then we're outnumbered by about a million to four."

Kenta turned to his friend. "You just _have_ to bring up stuff like that right before we enter, don't you?"

"Actually, you're outnumbered by about a million to _five_."

The figure that the voice which made this statement belonged to stepped out of the tree-shadows and approached them. Her hair seemed luminescent in the pale mist; her face was set, her expression resolute.

"Shinju! What are you doing here!" Aaron and Kenta gaped at her. Jean Bart only waited patiently to see how this would turn out.

Law stared at her, his face immobile. "I believe I told you to return to the sub."

She stared back without an ounce of hesitation. "I did go back. You never told me to stay there. I'm coming with you."

The lightning flashed in his stormcloud eyes. "Loopholes aren't going to get you out of this. You know what happens to people who disobey my orders."

Her eyes flashed just as fiercely, she bared her teeth, widened her stance and straightened her shoulders, standing at her full height with her head raised high. Law's crewmen took a tiny step back from the implacable ferocity, as tangible as heat, which was radiating from her presence.

"And what obligation do _I_ have to follow your orders? Do I look frightened to you? I've stayed in line _only_ because it was beneficial to the path I've chosen, and you know what? I'm sick of it! I _refuse_ to stay behind like a good little girl, and if you're going to punish me, you arrogant, selfish thing, then _do _it! Go ahead!"

She turned her face up to him, as if inviting him to strike her. All the anger and frustration that she'd been keeping inside all this time was bursting the dam containing it. Aaron and Kenta had now taken several steps back from her passionate fury. She was facing their captain like a hissing and spitting wildcat facing a lion, heedless of the threat of her opponent; and the lion seemed to be speechless at this sudden, blazing intensity.

You have no idea who I really am, do you?" she continued. "You don't know what I've been through, you don't know how strong I am, you don't know what I can endure, you don't know anything! So if you want to hurt me, you hard-hearted man, you cruel man, you—you _pirate_, then go on, hurt me! I'll resist you with everything I've got, and I don't care how little that is or what happens next!"

She lay a hand on the hilt of one of her hunting blades, braced her feet, and waited.

There was a long, tense hush, and then a grin broke across Law's face; not a cruel smirk, not a threatening smile, but a full out, honest-to-goodness, happy grin. Aaron and Kenta could not have look more baffled if they tried, and a flicker of confusion crossed even Shinju's face.

"I'm glad you passed this test, Shinju. I was worried for a bit, I admit."

"Test? What do you…?" she looked hesitant and doubtful, then a dreadful suspicious flared behind her eyes. "You—you mean you were—this whole time, you planned—"

He was grinning from ear to ear now, and the others had begun to smile and sigh with relief. "You didn't disappoint me, my little tigress. I should never have doubted you."

Although she normally disapproved of bad language, she decided to make an exception for once and unloosed a blistering tirade of all the many foul words she'd heard while living with a rowdy group of pirates. Law merely continued to smile, almost laughing. His plan had gone rather well; she'd even said something about 'the path I've chosen'. He didn't think she'd have let that slip if she hadn't been angry.

Eventually running out of swearwords, she turned and stomped into the forest. The pirates hurried after her.

.

.

"Hold up there, Shinju." Law caught up to her, and laid a restraining hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine with you coming with us, but you _are_ staying with me." He reached out his hand to caress her face. "I'm not making an exemption to that rule."

She brushed his hand away, but nodded, slowing her pace a little.

"Wait a sec," said Kenta, stumbling on a briar that caught at his leg. "You don't have a beetle, like we do—shouldn't you have one, in case we get separated?"

"I don't need one" she said immediately, with confidence. "I can feel the presence in this forest just as well as those beetles can, maybe even better." She looked at them, her eyes slightly puzzled. "You really can't feel it at _all_?"

They shook their heads.

"It must be haki…" Aaron said, though he sounded a bit unsure. She shrugged as if it wasn't very important.

"Yeah, must be."

Law noticed that, though she'd been so assertive a minute ago, she was now avoiding meeting any of their eyes.

Suddenly, Aaron looked around, startled. "Kenta?" His friend had been right next to him, just a few seconds ago.

Law, too, looked suddenly alert. "Kenta, where are you?"

"Over here! I guess I just lost sight of you in the fog…"

"Get back here."

"I'm trying! Stop moving!" His voice was getting further away.

"We're not moving, you are!" That was Aaron's voice, but for some reason, he was also no longer visible. "Hang on, where is everybody?"

Law spun around, his eyes darting from tree to tree. Now Jean Bart was gone too. "Everybody just hold still!"

Captain? Captain!"

"Captain where are you?"

Their voices were now almost too distant to hear. Law fixed a piercing gaze on Shinju, and she thought for a moment that he was going to grab her upper arm, as he had in the city of Sadhana, but instead he took her hand, his fingers weaving between hers. He didn't seem to realize that his crushing grasp was making her bones creak.

"Don't you go anywhere."

"I won't."

She felt a strange surge of emotion, seeming to come from the trees around them. It was faint, but it felt like anger, or perhaps just irritation. She knew one thing; it did not feel human.

Suddenly the fog around them became so thick that they couldn't even see each others faces. A wave of dizziness swept over Shinju; she felt Law sway next to her, and knew he was experiencing the same thing. His grip on her hand began to loosen. Trying to hold on to him, she found that she was abruptly too weak; after one more desperate second, their hands slipped apart.

"Law?"

"Shinju? Shinju! Answer me!"

He thought he heard a far off call, but, listening harder, all that met his ears was silence. She was gone. His only companion was the mist that swirled gently around his face, disturbed into curling spirals by his rapid breath.

.

.

Shinju rubbed her arms, wishing she'd brought her jacket; this mist was chillier than it had seemed at first, under the shadows of the silently watchful trees. She didn't bother calling for the others; she didn't sense them anywhere near, and figured that going it alone was just part of the challenge of this place. Being alone did not trouble her as much as it would others; she was used to it; in fact, she usually preferred it. And besides, if they were all following the caged beetles, they would likely end up in the same place.

Putting her worries from her mind and drawing a deep, calming breath, she pressed onward.

She didn't know how long she'd been traveling; the faint light neither dimmed nor grew brighter. She was walking at the edge of a shallow ravine, when a root broke under her foot and she slid down the slope, bringing a shower of loose dirt and dead leaves with her.

Grumbling, she looked up, to find…

…That there were people standing all around her. Adults. She gazed up at them, her face tear-streaked. Their eyes were as hard as granite, as cold as ice. Even worse were their Hearts; she could feel them. There was fear, and cowardice, and anger, and contempt; but there wasn't a glimmer of pity, not even a speck of compassion. She felt her eyes move to look at one dark-haired woman in the crowd. She knew who that woman would be, she remembered, but she didn't want to look, she didn't want to see…She struggled against the memory. "You're my mother!" she screamed. The words tore from her throat. "YOU'RE MY MOTHER!" Then the first rock struck her.

She blinked. The vision was gone.

So _that's_ what they meant by 'forest of illusions'. Trembling slightly, she clambered out of the ravine and continued on her way. She'd dealt with her past…It couldn't hurt her again. She wouldn't let it.

She tried to convince herself that she wasn't scared, but she knew that she was waiting for the next vision to engulf her, wondering what it would be. The time Jehan and his gang had burned her, perhaps? Or maybe the time that he had pushed her into the ocean, and she'd crawled, beaten and shivering, back to the home she had built hidden among the jagged cliffs, where none of the villagers dared to stray…She could think of dozens of other things that would be unpleasant to feel again, and braced herself, preparing for them.

But nothing happened. She felt her tension building up, waiting…wasn't there going to be more illusions? Was the forest done with its game? She strained all her senses, but didn't feel nor hear anything. Except…What was that?

_Creak, creak._

She stopped, holding her breath.

_Creak, creak._

Something creaking in a steady back-and-forth rhythm, like a door swinging, or, possibly, a rocking chair…

Suddenly Shinju was standing in a familiar little room, lit by a cozy, crackling fire. The dark-haired woman sat before the hearth. She was pregnant. As her rocking chair creaked, she sang softly:

_The cuckoo, she is a pretty bird_

_She sings as she flies_

_She brings us glad tidings,_

_And tells us no lies._

_Its meeting, it is a pleasure,_

_And parting, it is a grief,_

_But a false-hearted true lover_

_Is worse than a thief._

_They'll hug you, they'll kiss you,_

_They'll tell you more lies_

_Than the green leaves on the willow_

_Or the stars in the skies._

Shinju felt her knees hit the damp, earthy forest floor, the little fire-lit room gone as if it never had been.

She'd always thought that it had been her father who'd taught her that lullaby.

A few tears landed on the loam, and the mist swallowed her stifled sobs.

.

.

Law strode purposefully through the scant underbrush, occasionally snapping a branch that got in his way; their dry, twisted twigs clutched at him as he passed, like boney fingers. The gossamer ribbons of pearly mist contorted through the trees around him, and although he knew that he was the one who was moving, it seemed as if the mist itself was following him, watching his progress. It made him irritated.

This venture was not getting off to a good start. As the captain, he was responsible for the safety of his men, and he didn't like not being able to see or even communicate with them. He'd just have to trust them, and hope that they'd all meet up at their destination. And the girl…

The words she'd spoken earlier replayed in his head, despite his efforts to concentrate on the matter at hand. _"You don't know what I've been through, you don't know what I can endure…" _Curiosity pricked at him. Apparently the casual answers she'd given to his questions about her past, all those weeks ago, had been merely the tip of the iceberg. He supposed he should have suspected that; she'd barely known him then, and wouldn't have been inclined to give him detailed answers. He'd have to ask her again. Surely she trusted him enough by now…

Abruptly, he stopped walking, looking up in puzzlement. Little flakes of white were falling from the treetops high above. He put out a hand, and one landed on his palm. He felt its coldness, before it had melted into an ordinary droplet of water.

Snow? But the temperature hadn't changed at all…or had it? He could now see his breath in front of his face…

The transition was so gentle, so vague, like waking up in the morning, that he couldn't be sure of the exact moment he realized it: he was sitting at a windowsill, a large medical book open in his lap. His clothes were baggy and very patched, looking as if they'd had several other owners.

Outside the window, a number of young children were playing in the snow, but he ignored them, absorbed in his book. The fuzzy, spotted hat on his head was much too big for him. A woman wearing a severe gray dress approached him, smiling kindly.

"Law, dear, you've been reading all day. Why don't you go play with the other children?"

He turned to look at her—and found himself looking into the gloomy stillness of the forest.

A smirk twisted his mouth, his eye glinting grimly. That was it? That was all this place had to offer—paltry little visions of his past? Pathetic. He'd been hoping for some kind of challenge.

He forged on, a bit more vigorously this time, still wearing a hard little smile. The forest was as still and silent as it ever was, and so it was a complete surprise when something struck him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

The snow was cold against his bare hands. He looked up, teeth bared with rage and defiance, at the ring of older boys who were his attackers. Leering, the oldest boy aimed another kick at his ribs. Law was trapped against the brick wall behind him.

"Orphanage brat!" his attacker jeered. "That's a mighty fine hat you've got—I think I'd like it for myself!" He reached down and tore it from Law's head.

"Give that _back_!"

The boy laughed. His next kick caught Law on the chin; snapping his head back to strike hard against the red bricks.

He twitched convulsively, teeth clenched and heart beating hard. He was flat on his back on the forest floor. Sitting up, he touched the back of his head gingerly, half-expecting to feel blood. The illusory pain was already fading.

Alright, he had to admit, that _was_ a little better than the last one. It was almost like a reply to his scoffing thoughts earlier, and he wondered if this place could read his mind…

Picking up the beetle cage that he had dropped (fortunately the beetle was still inside, and alive) he stood. Visions of his past were _still_ not enough to faze him—the forest would have to work a little harder. There was a rustling in the brush to his left, and he gripped his sword, prepared to attack. Shinju stepped out and approached him.

"Shinju!" he relaxed and moved towards her. Then he noticed that her hands were pressed to her chest. "Are you hurt?"

"Law…" her voice was miserable, her expression lost and forlorn. She removed her hands to reveal a gaping, bloody hole, a horrible hollowness where her heart should be. "Law, what have you done to me?"

With a cry of anger, he struck the image; it dissolved into languorous wreaths of mist.

"Alright!" he yelled to the trees around him. "I'm taking you seriously now! Happy?"

There was no reply.

To be continued!


	11. The Forest of Illusions Part III

The Forest of Illusions Part III

Last time…

With a cry of anger, he struck the image; it dissolved into languorous wreaths of mist.

"Alright!" he yelled to the trees around him. "I'm taking you seriously now! Happy?"

There was no reply.

.

Eventually, he came up with a strategy for fighting the illusions. He thought of Shinju—the _real_ Shinju, as he knew her to be. Whenever he felt the strange powers that wove through the mist around him try to seize his mind with another illusion, he dredged up as many memories as he could of the vivacious, stubborn little girl. He was amazed at the sheer number and detail of the things he could visualize about her; he knew the little crease that would appear between her eyebrows when she frowned, how she'd purse her lips pugnaciously and jut her chin out a little, how her hair had spilled over her shoulders when she was standing in his room, the exact way she'd raise a fork to her lips, or smile indulgently at Bepo, or grin when she beat his crew at poker.

Step by step, he made his way closer to his goal.

.

.

Shinju wiped the tears from her face and gritted her teeth obstinately. So maybe she hadn't been as prepared to face her past as she thought, she still wasn't going to give up. And now, she had an idea.

Turning her face towards the shadowy treetops above, she sent her _other_ sense out, the one that wasn't of her body and wasn't haki, searching, searching…There.

She could feel them; far fainter to her senses than a human's Heart, they were like whispers she could barely hear, or something she could almost see through a fogged window. Still, they were there. She knew they could feel her touch; they scurried away from it, further into the mist. Calmly, she made the feelings that she reached towards them with as kind and gentle as possible, as she had once done with the odd creature she'd met at the forest pool.

"I know you're there." She called up to them. "There's no point in hiding from me, and I've figured out your little game by now. Why don't you come down where I can see you, and talk face-to-face? I promise I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me."

She waited, her mouth slightly dry. They hovered at the edge of her senses, refusing to draw any closer, and she was just wondering if she should give up and keep going when one faint little presence moved away from its fellows, approaching her. When it was directly above her, she took a step back and watched something descend on a white silken thread.

It was a spider.

Or at least, it looked like a spider at first, with eight legs, a hairy dark-gray body the size of a dog, and a unique white spot in the middle of its back. But there was something strange about its feet…and as it turned its head to face her, she saw with a thrill that it had a human face. Not _completely _human, but human enough to be shocking, with a wide, sharp-toothed mouth stretched into an unnerving smile and two shiny black eyes. The hands on the ends of its legs, with which it clung to its web, were as small and delicate as a child's hands.

Mastering her revulsion, she remembered her manners.

"Um…how do you do? My name is Shinju." Just because the creature looked strange was no reason not to be kind to it. _It_ probably thought that _she_ looked strange.

It blinked, then reached towards her. She tensed, but did not sense any hostility from it. Holding very still, she let it move from its silk strand to her back, its grinning face peering over her shoulder. It hardly weighed more than the mist that drifted through the air around them.

"Why do you and your…friends…create illusions?" She asked it. "Why are you trying to keep us away?"

Gently, it rested one child-like hand on her hair…She was exiting her house, and Law was stalking closer. He trapped her between his arms, her back against the door. Then she was sitting in the infirmary, and his lips were pressed against hers—then something grabbed him, pulling him into the crushing black earth of the forest floor…

She shook her head, dispelling the vision as quickly as it had come. "That's quite enough of that, thank you." She said to the smiling creature. "I'm not turning back."

It said nothing.

It perched docilely on her back as she continued walking, its small hands gripping her gently. She paid it no mind. It was actually kind of cute, in an ugly sort of way…

After a few more minutes she felt another, more familiar presence ahead. She sped up, smiling happily.

"Aaron? I'm so glad I—ah!" she ducked as, rounding a tree, her pirate friend leaped at her, aiming a wild punch at her face. "What are you doing? Aaron, it's me, Shinju!" His eyes were wide and he appeared not to hear her. He pulled his fist back, preparing to strike again.

"Oh for heavens sake, _snap out of it_!" She sidestepped his swing and landed a hard punch to the top of his head, sending him face-first into the dirt.

"Ooooow…" He hunched over, clutching his bruised head. Then he looked up at her, startled. "Shinju? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, dum dum. Who did you _think_ I was?"

He stood up, brushing off his knees. "I dunno, I saw a bunch of freaky things, and couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't…hold on, what's _that_ thing?" He had spotted the spider-creature that was peering over her shoulder.

"Oh, this? Just a little friend I picked up. Cute, isn't he?"

Aaron only gaped at her, apparently lost for words. They both spun around quickly when they heard something approaching.

"It's just Kenta" she informed him, relaxing.

"How do you know—?"

Kenta marched out of the brambles, his scowl changing to an expression of relief when he saw them.

"Aaron, Shinju, thank _god, _I was worried that I was just going in circles in this blasted forest—and Shinju, what the _hell_ is _that?_"

She sighed as she explained again.

"_They're _the ones making the illusions? Why do you trust it? How do you know it isn't an enemy?" he glared at the creature suspiciously.

"C'mon guys, think about it. We know there's something really dangerous in this forest, right? Something that even beetles run away from."

They nodded.

"And what do these creatures do? They try to scare us away. So, if they're trying to keep us away from something that's really, _really_ bad, maybe they're on our side."

Aaron and Kenta both looked somewhat dubious, but any argument was cut off at the sound of heavy footsteps drawing nearer.

Jean Bart crashed through the undergrowth, his face as grim as it always was, and beside him strode Law.

"Captain! And Jean Bart! Great, that makes all of us; did you guys see illusions too—?" Aaron abruptly stopped talking at the look on his captain's face. He was _definitely_ in a very bad mood.

Law's eyes swept over them, making sure everyone was present and checking for injuries. When he stared at Shinju, taking in the thing on her back, she stepped forward to explain as she had to the others, but she didn't get the chance. She didn't have time to react as there was a ring of steel and a swift _whoosh_, and the small creature dissolved into a cloud of mist with a faint cry.

"You shouldn't carry vermin around." Said Law tersely, sheathing his sword. He turned away from the stunned girl. "Let's go."

She stared at him openmouthed, and Aaron shrugged at her and scuffed his feet awkwardly while Kenta gave her a warning, '_just let it go_' look. But she was _not _going to let it go.

"Wait just a minute—" She clenched her fists rigidly and strode after him. Both Aaron and Kenta were making 'shushing' motions at her, but she ignored them. "What did you do that for! You didn't even know what it was and you just _kill_ it! If you had just let me explain—"

He talked over her. "—Shinju, I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

Her eyes flashed with the fire of her sudden, affronted anger. "Yeah? Well _I_ don't think—"

He turned quickly and grabbed her face with one hand, covering her mouth and halting her mid-step. He wasn't hurting her, but she couldn't move an inch. His voice was like a cold knife as he said "If you don't want me to gag you then_ shut up._" She felt the force of his gaze almost like a physical blow.

Normally, he would not make such a threat, nor humiliate her by acting on it; in his present temper, he might. Shinju, however, was not daunted, her anger still greater than her fear. She tore out of his grip and hissed through clenched teeth "Really? And then I suppose you'll have to bind my hands, to keep me from undoing the gag. I wonder, is it really advisable to burden your men and yourself with protecting a helpless prisoner when we're in such dangerous territory? Did you think of _that_, oh wise and powerful captain?"

He grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her close, so she was forced to balance on tip-toe and they were almost nose-to-nose. His voice was barely more than a whisper as he said "I'm warning you…" She could feel his rapid breath on her face, and was aware of the chaotic tangle of emotions swirling in his Heart, just barely within his control. Looking into his storm-grey eyes, she knew that he was silently pleading with her not to push him any further.

Aaron and Kenta stared at the two of them, looking as if they wanted to say something to placate their captain, but not daring to. Jean Bart watched calmly.

Shinju raised her chin and held his gaze, resolute and unwavering, but said nothing more.

After one more long tense moment, he let her go with a sudden rough movement that made her stumble, and turning on his heel, continued walking. She followed, gnashing her teeth and hating the fact that her throat felt tight and her eyes were burning with unshed tears. She hadn't been afraid, so why did she feel so…hurt? Aaron sighed with relief and Kenta shook his head, but she didn't see them. Her eyes were fixed on the back of the man who loped with easy, determined strides ahead of the party.

_That's the kind of man he is—that's the kind of thing he believes; lesser, weaker beings just don't matter. Their lives and deaths mean nothing to him. _Still, a hopeful little part of her tried to argue that he'd been getting gentler, he could change…_He's just been trying to get you into his bed with him._ She told herself savagely. This _is his _true _personality._ These bitter thoughts continued to eat at her as the group trudged deeper into the forest.

.

.

The trees were thinning, looking even more twisted and unhealthy that the ones before them. Shinju knew that they were approaching their goal, but she couldn't really convince herself that she was happy about it. The malevolent presence of whatever awaited them in the forest's dark heart was so powerful that the very air around them felt alive, clinging to them and pressing against their minds and their senses.

The little beetles in their woven cages were buzzing so frantically that Shinju feared that the poor creatures would die of exhaustion or fright. She wasn't too happy to be here either, but she refused to show any fear in front of Law. She'd fought to be allowed to come, and she wasn't going to let anyone think that she didn't have the guts to stick it out. The spider-creatures that had been surrounding their party were no longer present, wisely deciding not to go on any further. They were probably smarter than humans, but Shinju fond herself missing their company. With them, the illusion-laden fog was also dwindling; only a few wisps and tendrils of mist wove, ghostlike, over the damp ground.

They crept on all the more cautiously as the darkness became nearly impermeable. Then, as one, they stopped moving and merely stared at what waited ahead of them. A giant black tree was the source of the forest's presence. But the image alone was not enough to convey its power, or the threat that emanated from it. This thing, whatever it looked like, was no tree. It was like facing some ancient and nameless monster; it watched them, was intelligently aware of their presence, and the darkness yawned around it like some great mouth that was preparing to devour them whole. The quiet was absolute and oppressive; not a leaf stirred, even the lingering traces of lucid mist were still. Shinju realized that she was holding her breath without meaning to.

Aaron swallowed hard. "W-well…" his hesitant voice seemed loud in the silence "do you think the treasure is somewhere around here, Captain?"

"There's only one way to find out." He took the lead, calm but watchful; Shinju fell in behind Aaron and Kenta. Her legs were reluctant to move forward and her scalp prickled. She gripped her hunting blades tighter and gritted her teeth in defiance of her fear. Jean Bart took up the rear guard.

"What was that?" Shinju's startled cry made the others turn to look at her.

"What was what?" Law sounded annoyed at her interruption.

"I—I thought I felt something…from under ground…"

They waited with bated breath, but there wasn't a tremor or a sound from anything around them.

"Lets keep moving."

Aaron, following his captain, looked back at the girl who was still staring apprehensively at the forest floor. "C'mon, Shinju. You probably just imagined it. We're all a bit jumpy."

Kenta scowled at her. "Don't call a false alarm just because you're nervous. Leave the thinking to us more experienced—AHHH!"

There was no warning—something grabbed him, dragging him downward into the earth with a relentless, irresistible strength. Shinju froze, horrified, then with one swift slice Law severed whatever it was that had hold of his crewman. Kenta clawed his way to his feet, gasping for breath and half covered in dirt and leaves.

"W-what—the hell—was _that?_" He panted.

"There's more." Law replied tensely. They stood in a circle, back-to-back as the ground around them churned.

Shinju saw that there were white things, thrust into the open air by the disturbed soil and contrasting sharply with the dark newly-turned earth. They were human bones. The empty eye sockets of the skulls seemed to glare at them balefully. She remembered the paragraph that Law had read to them not so long ago, in the safety and comfort of the submarine;_ "All who seek the power of the stone shall be forever lost; their minds eaten by insanity, their bodies eaten by dust, their spirits wandering forevermore." _These pitiful skeletons were all that remained of the treasure-seekers who had come to this place before them, a vision of what might become their own fate.

Law unsheathed his sword. "Here they come!"

The earth burst open, and out came roots of the giant tree; tentacle-like, writhing, clawing, grasping, clutching, contorting this way and that as they sought blindly for their prey. With loud battle cries the pirates joined the fray, following their captain who was slashing like a whirlwind in the center of the melee.

Shinju didn't use thought, only senses, instinct, reflex, jump-slash-dodge-roll-slash again-duck—she fell into the pattern with a furious energy. One sardonic thought managed to surface in her mind; _people say adventures are fun—this is _not _fun! _But she couldn't help the reckless excitement that flooded her, nor did she see that her teeth were bared in something that was almost a grin, so alike to the wild, predatory smile that adorned the face and eyes of a certain pirate captain. She only knew that the hunt was up—it was time to fight or die.

"C-captain, orders?" Aaron panted, kicking another flailing root away from him. They couldn't keep this up forever; Law was making quite a dent in their numbers, but every time a root was crushed or severed two more took its place, and they were showing no sign of stopping. Law gritted his teeth in anger. If they went forward, it might get worse—but if they retreated, they'd leave behind the treasure…No, he couldn't attempt this with only four men and a girl, this was stupid, just stupid!

"Kenta!" Shinju's scream broke his concentration, he looked over to find Kenta being pulled underground—he couldn't get there in time—but Aaron was there, holding on to his companion and trying to tug him free. There was an awful crack, and Kenta's arm twisted and broke. He disappeared.

Jean Bart roared and ripped Aaron away from the roots that were trying to pull the man in after his friend. "We've got to fall back for now, Captain!"

"No—Kenta—!" Aaron struggled out of Jean Bart's hold, just in time to escape the tangle of prehensile, grasping roots than enclosed on the giant man. There were too many for even him to fight off. Then they surrounded Aaron; he didn't have time to cry out.

_Shit, shit, this is all my fault! What was I thinking? _For once Law had no mask, nothing to hide what he really was; one desperate young man, fighting with everything he had, against all odds, and this time, everything he had was not enough. His legs were beginning to sink into the churning soil when his eyes caught a streak of white.

Shinju. She was still above ground, her lithe, slender form ducking and weaving around the clutching roots with graceful agility, her feet touching the ground with such lightness that the roots could not accurately detect her presence. In a flash she was beside him. Tears coursed down her cheeks, but her eyes were grim and determined as she cut at the vines entwining him.

"Just go!" he ordered. His voice was ragged, harsh.

"No."

"GO NOW!" With a wrench of his free arm, he threw her away from him.

Then something grabbed him, pulling him into the crushing black earth of the forest floor.

She screamed with rage and dug her hands into the dirt, digging, then she quickly pulled away with a despairing sob as the roots reemerged to claim her. Again slashing and dodging, her eyes fixed with blazing hate on the black tree, which stood, watching with a calm, cool amusement. With a burst of speed born of desperation, she sprinted and leaped, closing the distance between her and the malicious being that was going to consume her friends.

"LET THEM GO!" she pounded her fists against the trunk of the tree, its rough bark tearing her skin. "LET THEM GO NOW, YOU BASTARD, YOU—!"

Her words were cut short as darkness swirled around her in long tentacles, tightening on her body. Not roots, not vines, but solid, living darkness. It entered her mouth, pouring into her lungs, filling her brain, her mind; all she knew was this crushing, painful blackness, telling her that she was going to die. Then a voice spoke into the despairing vaults of her stunned consciousness.

"_Are you giving me orders, little mortal?" _It sounded faintly amused.

The voice was unlike anything she'd ever heard. It was soundless, yet she felt it in the very marrow of her bones. She wanted to curl up in a little ball somewhere far, far away, but she fought the terror and hopelessness that gripped her, just as she fought for air and release from the darkness that had her in its coils.

"Who are you? _What _are you?"

"_I have no name. My existence is beyond your understanding; I've been in this world far longer that you mortals have."_

"What do you want with us?" she knew what the answer would be, but she clung to hope nonetheless. She felt the smile in its voice.

"_I shall feed on you, as I do on any life form that is foolish enough to come within my reach. Give up, little mortal. Your bright energy will feed me well."_

At these words, Shinju felt the last of her strength begin to ebb away. It was hopeless. Nothing could save them now. She hoped that the others would stay far away from this place, that they'd sail away after their captain was dead, but in her Heart she knew they wouldn't. She pictured them all, one by one, saying farewell. She thought of her father…and her mother. Then she thought of Law; that foolish, reckless, ambitious, sensitive, arrogant young man, that daring pirate captain casting his fate into the teeth of the world, challenging everything…

…He was still alive. She knew it. Even on the edge of death, she knew it with her whole being. With a newly inspired surge of stubborn courage, she reached out with her other sense and felt Aaron, Kenta, Jean Bart. They were all still alive.

Concentratingall her energy on a place deep inside herself, a little point of brightly burning light, she grasped a power that she'd always had but had never used to its full extent. Holding it tight, she turned her focus back to her companions, and called,_ "Fight with me!"_ Somehow, using this power that was a part of her, she called to them. She felt their fear and panic subside as they heard her. "_C'mon, fight this thing! Join me! I know we can do it, if we do it together!"_

She didn't know _what _she was doing, she didn't know how it was going to work, but she felt them with her; Aaron and Kenta's brave loyalty, the steady, experienced strength of Jean Bart, and Law, his determined, fierce defiance. It was as if they were standing right beside her. The darkness around her began to loosen, pushed back by their combined will.

"You won't win!" she screamed at the dark being. "You try to eat us, and you'll get burned! We are _not _going to be your food!"

There was a great stillness for a moment, and then she felt what seemed like a chuckle. The voice seemed impressed. _"You are no ordinary mortal. I see it now; you are the one who knows The Heart of All Things. It's been many, many years since I met a bright flame like you, and I admit, I can't abide fire." _Its tone was that of soft, deadly good humor. "_Let's make a deal, little mortal; I'll give you a chance to escape. If you win your way out of this forest, you'll be free. If you don't, even _your_ fire won't save you."_

Shinju held very still, hardly daring to believe it.

"_Oh, and why don't you take this with you. It's nothing more than a trinket to me, but I daresay it's worth something to you humans—if you can figure out how to use it."_

She felt something cold and smooth in her hand; it radiated power, and it wasn't dark or evil, but pure and very strange.

Suddenly the world reappeared around her. The cloying darkness was gone, the suffocating pressure against which she had fought to breath had vanished. She gasped and drew in great ragged breaths into her crushed lungs. She knew where she was: standing by the base of the giant tree, in a clearing of the forest of illusions. The earth was unmoving; the roots had retreated, though there were still bones jutting out of the soil. Filled with new hope and new fear, she ran to the places were her friends had gone under.

"Law? Aaron, Kenta, Jean Bart, are you guys down there? Answer me!"

She waited. Her breathing seemed loud in the ringing silence.

Suddenly, there was a rumble, then a tremendous roar; the ground exploded as Jean Bart tore himself free, sheltering Aaron and Kenta with one massive arm and showering Shinju with dirt.

"Guys!" she cried joyously, running towards them, "you're alright!"

"Alride?" Aaron choked, "I'm haf-suffocaded and I dink I've got dirt up my nose…" Kenta said nothing; he looked pale and ill, and he leaned against his friend, clutching his broken arm to his chest.

Shinju's spirits plummeted as her eyes roved over the group. "But where's—?"

Before she could finish her question a sphere of blue light expanded behind her; great chunks of earth whirled into the air and then fell back as Law emerged from among them.

She ran to him, then stopped herself a few feet away, her breath held and her eyes searching his face wordlessly. He stared back for a moment, then abruptly he dropped his nodachi and swept her into his arms in a fierce embrace.

"I'm sorry about earlier," He whispered, his mouth close to her ear, "I was just—I saw things in the forest that I—"

"It's okay." For some reason, being so near him didn't scare her anymore. After what had happened, what she'd done…she felt stronger. And somehow, he felt…nicer.

He held her close for one more moment, then released her, looking her over carefully. "…You have the stone?"

"Wha—? Oh, yeah." She'd almost forgotten that she was holding it. She parted her fingers to peek at a small, smooth oval stone that was a deep, radiant green. She could still feel its power quite clearly.

"Uh, Captain…" the others had approached, and Aaron was looking around nervously. The leaves on all the trees around them were rustling as if in a high wind—but not a breath of air was stirring. "We'd better get out of here while we can…"

Shinju gritted her teeth grimly. "That thing…it said _if_ we win our way out of the forest…I think that means we've still got a lot to deal with on the way out…" She didn't ask if they knew what she was talking about—she knew that they had heard the voice as clearly as she had.

Law nodded. "Kenta, can you manage until I have time to take a look at that arm?"

"No problem Captain. I'll be fine."

"Alright. Shinju, do you think you can lead us out of here?"

"I can tell when were moving away from that…whatever it is. And guys, we've gotta go now—its presence is spreading to all the trees around us!"

"Right, let's go!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

With renewed hope and determination, they fled.

.

The breathless wind that shook the trees had increased to a roar; branches flailed and twisted, showering twigs and leaves upon the escapees and clutching at their heels. It seemed as if every tree in the whole forest was screaming in malevolent rage that their quarry was fleeing them. Shinju ran with no thought in her head, her mind focusing all its strength on the path ahead, with a tiny part being calmly aware of her companions in case any of them fell back and needed help. She ran faster than she knew she could, the adrenaline spurring her on and making her presently unaware of the tearing pain in her lungs and the ache in her tired legs.

"We've got company coming in from behind!" Kenta shouted.

Shinju glanced back, hearing the dry, slithery rustling of something pursuing them. Thousand of vines were snaking through the trees, moving far faster than the roots had, with an inexorable hunger.

"Move!" Law yelled to her. She dived out of his way, and he swung his sword in two great arcs. The vines fell back, shredded, and the company continued to flee.

The carnivorous greenery that had been cut back was quickly replaced by more of its own, and continued to gain on them. Shinju swiveled round when she heard a scream, and saw Aaron snared by the vines and being wound up like a fly in a web.

"Aaron!" she dashed to him and began slicing the thick living ropes, but they kept coming.

Jean Bart ripped them apart in great handfuls—but they were losing time, the way ahead of them was cut off—for every step they took, they were dragged back two steps…

_Damn it, it can't end like this, not when we were so close! _Law slashed furiously, but the tendrils had begun to twine around his arms, his neck—

"Ai ai aiii!" A shrill cry rang out, and Bepo came flying out of the trees ahead of them, his rapid kicks severing the vines binding his captain. Then there was a dull explosion and a burst of fire; the vines cringed and shrank back from the flames.

"Haha! Take that, forest!" Gale threw another bomb into the surrounding trees and there was another fiery blast. He was proud of his homemade explosives, though where he kept them was anyone's guess.

"You guys! How did you—?"

"No time to explain, hurry, this way!" Martino beckoned them, Vash standing grim-faced beside him.

Hoping against hope that they knew where they were going, Shinju and the others followed without question.

.

.

.

"I can't believe it—we made it!" Aaron sat on the dew-laden grass outside the forest, clutching a stitch in his side and grinning broadly. He and the others who had battled the forest being were covered in dirt, leaves, and scratches, but were blissfully, gratefully alive. The trees nearby were rustling with angry malice, but nothing pursued them beyond the forest boundaries. "How did you guys find us? How did you know we were in trouble?"

"I'd like to know that, myself." Law shot Martino, Bepo, Gale, and Vash a glance from over Kenta's broken arm, for which he was making a makeshift splint.

"We weren't going to disobey your orders, Captain," Martino explained, "We were waiting on the edge of the forest for you to return. But after only a few hours, these…_spider_ things came out of the trees and approached us…"

Shinju, who had been reclining against Bepo and staring at the forest, looked up at Martino sharply.

"…We thought at first that they were going to attack us, but suddenly we all had the same vision: you guys being dragged into the ground by some sort of monster…We debated for a while on whether or not it was a trap, but the creatures seemed really earnest, and the forest had started to go wild; the trees were coming alive and thrashing around. We decided to go in, and the spider-creatures led us right to you."

Shinju had stood, and taken a few slow steps towards the edge of the forest. Then she broke into a run, to halt and peer into the misty darkness.

"Shinju! Where are you going?" Law sounded vexed, but she ignored him.

"Is it you?" She called. Something descended from a silken thread. The furry, many-legged creature had a unique white spot on its back. "It _is _you, Hoshi!" She smiled at the creature, and it smiled back. A couple of his fellows were gazing down at them from the treetops.

"…Hoshi?" Law had followed her, and now quirked an eyebrow questioningly at the girl.

"Well he needs a name, doesn't he? He saved us!" It was true. They hadn't defeated the forest; they'd only made it out alive. There really were some amazing, unexplainable things in the world.

"It would seem so. I guess I owe you an apology, Hoshi." Law removed his hat a made a small polite bow. Hoshi only continued to smile, as did Shinju.

_I guess…he's not as bad as he sometimes seems. _Shinju thought, remembering how angry she'd been when Law had lashed out at her earlier. _At least he's able to admit it when he makes a mistake._

"Finish saying goodbye to your friends. We're going back to the sub."

As he stood nearby with the others, he and Aaron looked over to see Shinju fondly kiss Hoshi's cheek. Hoshi touched her face in farewell, and then he disappeared into the forest.

"That's some woman you've fallen for, Captain."

"I know." Law replied, his eyes fixed on the girl. Then he realized that he'd answered unguardedly to his now grinning crewman's sly statement. "Aaron, mind your own business."

"Aye aye, Captain."

"And stop smiling!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" he took a moment to compose his face into a sober expression, then sauntered away, hands in his pockets. And if he smiled as soon as his back was turned, well, his captain wouldn't notice; he'd gone back to staring at the young woman.

.

.

.

The crew sat around the table in their own warm, comfortable dining room, drinking hot coffee and going over the finer details of their adventure. Law turned the green stone over and over in his fingers as he talked. He'd resolved to study it; he knew it had power, he just had to figure out what it was and how to use it.

Shinju cradled her head in her arms against the polished wood surface of the table. She felt relaxed and sleepy, and was only half listening to the conversation around her. There was a lull in the talking, and she was just considering going to bed, when Law addressed her.

"Now, Shinju…"

She raised her head up a few inches to blink at him blearily.

"I think it's about time you explained your unusual powers to us."

She was sitting up straight now. "What are you talking about?"

His eyebrows nearly disappeared into the shadow of his hat at the skeptical look he was giving her. One corner of his mouth tilted up in a wry smile. "Come now…you can't really have expected us not to have noticed it…What you did when we were trapped by that thing…"

"It was haki. The same as I used on Torgrün." Her mouth had gone very dry, and the tranquil sleepiness had drained from her face.

"I don't think so. I know haki when I feel it, and what you did was something different."

Jean Bart nodded, and all the others were staring at her. She felt as if their eyes were searchlights.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Her fists were clenched on the table, the knuckles standing out white. She stood suddenly, pushing her chair back. "I'm—tired. I'm going to bed."

"Shinju!" he stood as well, walking round the edge of the table to approach her. "Enough with the evasions. I know you're hiding something, I've known it for a while. Now I want you to tell me what it is."

"I'm not hiding anything!" There was no mistaking the fear in her voice.

He stopped and stared at her. She met his gaze, but her face was so icy-pale that her hair was nearly dun by comparison, and every muscle in her figure was taut and trembling slightly. He saw something in her eyes that he had not seen since the day she had first woken up in his infirmary, threatening to kill herself: terror. She was terrified.

His expression softened, and for a moment he looked almost sad. "I won't press you on this, but I wish you could trust me at least a little. You may go."

She fled.

.

Shinju threw herself onto her bed and curled up, clutching her pillow to her chest with all her might. The fear that had been dormant for so long was loose, freezing her blood and chilling her to the bone. She wanted, _needed,_ to rein it in, lock it back up in the deep place it had come from, but it refused to be contained again and raged through her mind. Old memories that had already been disturbed by the illusions in the forest awoke from their long sleep. They unfurled their batlike wings and gripped her in their dreadful claws, worse than those of any monster: her village condemning her—her mother abandoning her—her exile, the fear and loneliness and hunger…she could never let it happen again, never never never never…if they found out, they would hate her, betray her, kill her…it would all happen over again, only this time she couldn't escape…

She buried her face in the pillow, refusing to cry, refusing to think, refusing to go back and tell them the truth. The truth would cause her death. She couldn't, she couldn't…

Finally her exhaustion swallowed her emotions, dragging her down into blissful unconsciousness.

.

_The White Tiger approached her, his steps as soft as a butterfly's wings. His shining fur stood on end and his eyes flashed; he was very angry. With one sweep of a large paw, he knocked her head over heels and stood over her, glaring fiercely. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Will you cower and weep forever? Will you never face your fear and fight your demons? I'm becoming impatient with you! Tell them the truth."_

_ "—But" she gasped, "last time—"_

"_You are blinded by your fear. You must allow yourself to trust, or you'll never regain your heart. Go now and tell them!" _

_._

She awoke in an instant, sweating and trembling. The message had been crystal clear. She knew what she must do, but could she really do it?

Knowing that if she didn't act immediately what courage she had would fail her, Shinju stood and walked slowly to the door, clenching her fists and shaking from head to toe.

.

.

Law and a few others were still in the dining room, poring over their half-filled mugs of coffee. The conversation was sleepy and subdued, and Bepo was in one corner, snoring thunderously. Aaron was the first to notice Shinju standing in the doorway. The others saw his startled look and turned to follow his gaze.

"…Shinju?"

"I'm going to tell you the truth. All of it." She stared at the floor, unable to meet any of their eyes. Everyone was silent. "I'm only gonna be able to do this once, so please don't interrupt."

Law pulled out a chair, inviting her to sit next to him. She sat, drew a deep breath, and opened her mouth, but no words came out. He set his cup of coffee in front of her, and she took a grateful sip. There was sweet liquor in it, and it burned bracingly on the way down. She tried again, and this time words poured forth.

"When I was growing up, I came to realize that my mother had an illness. It wasn't an illness of the body, but of the Heart. She was never happy. My father and I did everything we could for her. She loved him, a little. She'd never loved me."

"I have a few theories as to why, though I'll never know for certain. I tried and tried to please her, but she would never look at me; she talked to me only when necessary and certainly never touched me or showed any form of affection. I turned to my father for love."

She paused for a moment. Law knew that she was getting close to whatever she meant to tell them, and he also knew that it was incredibly difficult for her to speak. He and the others waited, all their attention on her, and she stared at her hands, still unable to look at them.

"After father left, when I was nine years old, she became even more cold and distant. The villagers didn't like me, and with father's protection gone, they shunned me worse than ever. Mother suffered to. Then one day I just couldn't take the silence anymore." She bit her trembling lip and breathed slowly for a few moments, getting herself under control. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I told her about my ability, the power I'd had since I was born. I described it so convincingly that she couldn't deny that it was true. I wanted to use it to help her. But it backfired."

Here she paused so long that Aaron asked "What happened?"

"She told the village elder what I'd told her, and he and the other villagers held a trial, of sorts. It was decided that I was a witch." There was a collective intake of breath from her audience, and some of them grimaced sympathetically. "The village children started throwing rocks at me, and soon almost everyone joined in. My mother did nothing." The words were barely audible. "I escaped. I survived in the outskirts of the island, the roughest places where no one else would go. They all assumed that I would die eventually, but I held on." Her story was winding down, she could delay no longer. "The power that condemned me, is—it's—" her tongue felt stiff, and she couldn't stop her voice from shaking. She took another shuddering breath, and said "It's the ability to know the Hearts of those around me. I can feel everyone's emotions, as clearly as I feel my own." Now all she could do was wait.

The silence was complete, and every face wore various expressions of awe and amazement. Then Law leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Ahh…I see now…That's what the forest being meant by 'The Heart of All Things." There was the smallest of smiles on his lips.

"I never spoke of it since then because…I was afraid that…you guys would hate me too. I couldn't risk it. I couldn't trust anyone with the truth." She bent her head to hide the shameful tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"Aw, come on squirt" Aaron broke the silence. "We could never hate you. Much less stone you to death." Gale nodded and smiled. They were all looking at her with compassion…friendship…She smiled back tremblingly. Suddenly Kenta gasped, making them jump.

"So _that's _why you're so good at poker!"

She laughed; a small, quivering laugh. She could hardly believe that a few minutes ago she hadn't been sure whether she'd live through this. It seemed ridiculous now; they didn't hate her, they weren't even angry.

She felt as if a huge burden had lifted, chains that she hadn't even known were binding her fell away. She'd carried it for so long that she'd grown accustomed to its weight. Warm, steady tears began to pour down her face like a gentle rain.

Law gave his crew a look, and, seeing it, they all began yawning falsely and making weak excuses of tiredness or errands that needed attending. Gripping or patting her shoulder on the way out, they bid her and their captain goodnight, and paired up to whisper about this interesting turn of events as they left Shinju and Law alone.

He rubbed her back softly as her shoulders shook, and eventually she sighed, with no more tears left. The room was quiet and peaceful. With one swift motion, he gently scooped her up and set her on his lap, his arms wrapping around her and one hand stroking her hair. She laid her head against his chest, breathing in his scent and feeling his heartbeat and warmth. It was…comforting…if only she could stay like this…

She felt his fingers slip under her chin, tilting her face up, and before she knew what was happening he was kissing her; gently at first, then more insistently. She stiffened and almost pulled away, but he held her close, his fingers twining tightly in her hair. Slowly, she let herself relax, enjoying the feeling and wanting more. His mouth was soft and eager and very warm, and she felt his happiness; exultant, triumphant…

Suddenly she broke the kiss, her eyes stinging. She turned her face away. "I—I'm sorry," she whispered, "but—I can't. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" he asked quietly. "Shinju, look at me"—he forced her face towards his—"why can't you?"

She blinked rapidly, trying to avoid his piercing gaze. "I—okay, I won't deny that kissing you feels good, and I like it"—she felt another surge of happiness in his Heart—"but…you've taken something from me that's rightfully mine. I can't just ignore that, and let you kiss me. It would be wrong."

He was silent for a while, then, "I…want you." It seemed for a moment that he had been about to say something else, but changed his mind. "I would do anything for you to feel the same for me…"

She laughed softly, without humor. "You wouldn't free me." She whispered. It was hard to say. She felt him tense, and he looked away, jaw clenched.

Finally, he replied "It's not like you'd love me if I did. You'd leave." There. He'd said it: "Love".

"But it's not like I'll love you if you don't. You know it's true—I won't change my mind on this. At least, if you freed me, we could be friends."

"Can't we be friends now?"

She paused, head bent and her face hidden in shadow. Then she met his eyes directly. "Cutting out someone's heart and using it to hold them captive, to force their obedience…that's not something a friend would do. If you're going to claim to have feelings for me, you should treat me as your equal." Gently untangling herself from his arms, she stood, straightening her shirt. "Goodnight, Mr. Trafalgar." She said sadly. She shut the door softly behind her.

He was as still as a statue for a long time, then he picked up an empty cup from the table, turning it in his hands and trying to ignore the ache in his body. He stared at the coffee mug as though lost in thought. Abruptly, with a movement like a serpent's strike, he threw it across the room with all the strength he could muster; it hit the opposite wall and shattered into a million pieces.


	12. Problems and premonitions

It's finally here!

Thank-you Vampire Revan, Hight Prince Gasket, Sucker4Villains, Brucy, Moonlight Calls, xXFireFistAceXx, Jen567, Youz, Aka Wouka, Skylar's Lullaby, .is., KissKissKiss, Shchool boy humor, 64348, Wolfy0122, Strawhat1227, miyu the fangirl, xburner21, cutekoala, QuickCookie, Saku-Chan.x, Seba, innocencealive, Sweet miracle 'michu 17, Final-Kingdom-Anime-Fan, TheOdaFan, Someone, Clumsy0132, and Avacii. All of your support and encouragement means a lot to me, it keeps me going.

I'd like to make a short note on Shinju's ability. Firstly, I hope you all noticed the similarity to the power that Rayleigh mentioned to the strawhats in the official manga, "the voice of all things" (chapter 506). I tried to make her power fit in with the world of Onepiece; there's Aisa with her ability to feel people's life-force, Nami with her weather sensitivity, Basil hawkins who can see probability, and (in more recent chapters) Madame Shirly who can see visions of the future. It's a world of amazing things, so i hope Shinju's ability doesn't seem too "mary-Sue"ish. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

(P.S: don't miss the improvements i've made to chapters 2 & 3! there's more to come!)

Onepiece is the creation of Eiichiro Oda

Problems and Premonitions

A storm raged around the island of Rhith, battering the barren coast with hail and lightning, proving that if anyone thought that such a miserable place couldn't get any worse, they were wrong. The villagers who huddled in their thatch-roofed houses believed that the storm was the doing of an enraged god, one who was bent on punishing those who had dared to confront him and live to tell the tale. In fact, they may not have been so far from the truth; the elements of the island of Rhith behaved in peculiar ways, but the night-black clouds of this particular storm had amassed with alarming speed, and the wind blew, howling and screaming, from the heart of the forest.

The tempest was fiercest at the shoreline; the waves lashed spitefully against the rocks, and the rocks were grim and scornful and jagged; they would stand until their own nature caused their slow destruction against the constant movement of the sea. In a pitch darkness that seemed to swallow the whole world and contain nothing but shrieking wind and bitter sleet, there shone two small points of light not far from this coast; the steadily burning deck lights of the Submarine of the Heart Pirates. It was anchored near a pebble-strewn beach which had become completely hidden by the night, and it swayed and rocked with the chaotic rhythm of the sea. A single black flag adorned the mast, snapping defiantly in the wind, and the Jolly Roger it bore looked as if it was laughing with wicked glee at the anger of the storm. The forest hadn't been so tough, after all: they had escaped with no serious injuries, and a little bad weather didn't trouble them a bit.

As unlikely as it looked from the outside, the steel-plated craft—bearing the inscription "Death" in large black letters painted on both sides—was as cozy and comfortable inside as the world outside was harsh and cold; a small haven in a hostile ocean.

A young woman sat by the galley in that very submarine, her hands wrapped gladly around a mug of coffee, the warmth seeping into her skin, and pondered that same paradox. Months ago, this ship had been a prison, a place she had to endure but could never enjoy. Everything had changed; the pirates she once had to force herself to speak to and regard as real people were now her friends, even if in a strange sort of way. The very light and warmth of the place seemed nicer, the swaying of the craft was (usually) lulling, and the creaking of the floorboards and hum of the engines were familiar and comforting.

Shinju wasn't at all surprised at this change of perspective. Some of it had come about gradually, but a short time ago she had shed a great burden from her Heart, and it would have seemed natural for the whole world to look a little brighter, especially now when she was just getting used to her newfound lightness of spirit. Two days ago, she had revealed a secret that had been buried in her Heart for years, and in the act of unlocking it, she had finally let go of the grief and pain that she hadn't even realized she'd been carrying with her all this time. She had freed herself from her past at last, and had cried openly for the first time in almost six years.

Her friends had bombarded her with questions concerning her newly confessed and admittedly rather sensational ability; her 'sixth sense', for lack of a better name. She had answered them as best she could, haltingly at first, but with increasing relief; after years of keeping the secret imprison inside her, it felt so _good_ to be able to talk about it; it was like bleeding poison from a wound. Eventually, though, as the questions aimed at her by her pirate companions increasingly became grinning commands of: "so tell me, what am I feeling riiight…_now_?" Law ordered his men to give her some space. She hadn't minded their interest, but it was nice to have a little peace and quiet. And speaking of Law…

Shinju's lips curved into a secret little smile as she sipped her coffee. Like her, he was adjusting to some new changes, though they were somewhat less pleasant ones. Shinju thought that it was about time he realized some things, and, to give him credit, he _was _trying to do it as good-naturedly as possible, which was impressive in itself, considering that doing so was against his nature and his past habits. Before their adventure in the Forest of Illusions he had followed her about as often as his duties as captain would allow, enjoying the experience of making her uncomfortable while at the same time doing his best to seduce her. Now he was cool and distant, ignoring her completely. More than once Shinju thought that he had rather the disdainful but awkward air of a cat that was pretending that it hadn't just fallen ungracefully on its rump, and occasionally when he passed by she almost laughed out loud in spite of herself.

The thing which was most successful at causing her to control her somewhat self-satisfied (though not wholly undeserved) amusement was the fact that she could feel what he was going through, both with her other sense and with the reality that she, too, was heart sore from their shared experience…

A more solemn look crossed her features as she remembered their kiss two nights ago. She had recalled it a number of times already, willingly and unwillingly, and not without a little anger: he had taken advantage of her when she had been emotionally vulnerable. She couldn't hold it against him though; she'd let herself be taken advantage of, and, guiltily, had even enjoyed it. She let go of all guilt now; she was done with such feelings, they only ever got in the way.

She'd once believed that she could do what needed to be done without any loss, without any sacrifice. In the beginning, the thought of having feelings for him, or even for the crew, had seemed ridiculous and impossible; her stay here was a purgatory, a trial, and the pirates were enemies she had to learn to live with; she could never _really_ be close to them. She knew better now; there would be no gain without sacrifice, no sacrifice without truly opening her heart to those around her. She felt as if she were years older than shed been when she'd woken up that first morning, when the White Tiger had told her what she must do.

Her wisdom had not been easily attained. After the events at Kithtor, she had wasted a great deal of time and energy uselessly trying to deny her feelings for her captor, and the new and frightening sensations that he awoke in her. But now her mind was set: she had made her choice, and it was high time for him to make his.

As if called by her thoughts, the subject of her current musings, many of her feelings and (to be honest) most of her troubles, sauntered over to her and leaned against the counter.

"Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?" his voice, just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the storm outside, held in it hints of all the conflicted things he'd been feeling lately: bitter resentment toward her for rejecting him, curiosity about her mysterious power, exasperation at her stubbornness, and the desire to change her mind that battled with his wounded ego. In the end, though, curiosity and hope won. He couldn't help but wonder, as she turned her clear gaze on him, if she understood his emotions better than he did. The thought made him uncomfortable, and he looked away from her.

She smiled and shook her head mutely, and he took a seat. She liked the way he asked for permission now, which, she realized, was probably the only reason he did it. He hadn't given up.

Gale poured his captain a cup of coffee before leaving them and returning to the galley to clean up for the night.

"I was wondering…" Law began after a few moments of silence, "if you'd be willing to tell me more about your…ability."

She'd been expecting this; he'd been avoiding her the past two days, but his curiosity wouldn't let him stay away any longer.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, hoping to get a more specific answer than "everything".

What's it like?" he demanded. He was meeting her eyes now, and she felt a pained kind of fierceness in them, one that he obstinately tried to hide, and would not have acknowledged if she'd mentioned it.

_He'll come to terms with it in his own time, there's no use rushing it, _she thought. Then she turned her mind to his question, furrowing her brow and biting her lip as she struggled for an answer. "People are…more than they appear to be. It's like…our bodies are just containers. I sometimes think of peoples Hearts as candles; they give off a heat and light that only I can feel, as long as they're in my range." She smiled in recollection. "That's one of the reasons I was so good at avoiding you, back when you guys were trying to capture me on Sabaody; it's very hard to sneak up on me, as long as I'm paying attention."

He didn't smile, not being in the mood to reminisce. "How far away do they have to be for you to not feel them?"

"It depends…the better I know someone, the easier it is for me to sense them, because their Heart will be familiar to me…I could find any of you guys in a crowd easily, by now. But, to be honest, I've never measured it in actual distance; it's just something I do instinctively. And for that matter, some people are easier to sense from a distance than others, whether I know them well or not."

She was thinking of Strawhat Luffy, and the way his Heart had seemed to shine, like a miniature sun. She wasn't going to mention this to Law, though; she wasn't likely to forget just how sensitive he was when it came to the rival who was possibly stronger than he was.

"Everyone's Heart is different in a million ways, I can't even describe it. It's very subtle. There's something else you should know—" she wanted to get this one out of the way; it was something she'd already explained a thousand times to the others. "—I can sense emotions _only._ The reasons why people feel things—and their intentions—that is contained in the mind, not in the Heart. I can guess, and often guess right, but I can't know."

She looked very seriously at him. "If there's something you want me to know, please, just _tell me_. Don't assume that I already know."

Law was silent for a few minutes, watching her. Finally, he asked "can you choose not to use this ability?"

Shinju sighed. All the others had asked her this too; _'do you _have_ to feel what I feel? Can't you turn it off?' "_I can't choose not to use it any more than I can choose not to see in color. It's just there, and it been there probably since before I was even born. There are times when it's less acute; if I'm suffering some emotional trauma or tension, I can't focus on the emotions of others. It's like a wall that blocks it off. Most of the time, though, it's kinda like a noise in the background: I'm so used to it I don't even find it remarkable."

He drank in every word, forgetting to be guarded as he got more interested. "Couldn't you make a wall around your Heart on purpose, and put it up whenever you wanted to?"

She pursed her lips disapprovingly. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. I've seen people who rely on emotional barriers. It's not healthy."

He raised his eyebrows in a half joking, half serious way, with the first glimmer of humor she'd seen in his eyes for a few days. "Are you trying to tell me something, Miss Shinju?"

She smiled and assured him "I'm telling the truth. If you want to take advice from my words, you can, but it's not my intention to lecture you. I'm just telling you what it's like." If he thought she was trying to give him guidance, it was all too likely that he'd refuse to listen. Men were just _so _hard to deal with. She conveniently forgot that she was often just as proud and stubborn and contrary as he was.

After a long silence in which she sat quite at ease, sipping her coffee thoughtfully, Law took his eyes off her to yawn and stretch, running a hand through his short black hair and causing it to stick up untidily. As trying to his patience as the last few days had been, he was glad he'd finally talked to her and gotten it over with. He didn't know what he wanted to do about her and wasn't any nearer to finding out, but avoiding her hadn't made him feel better as he'd hoped it would. On the contrary, it had only made him more restless and irritated—and it didn't help that she seemed suspiciously pleased with herself for some reason, and not at all bothered by his feelings. All the same, he now felt some of the tension that had been building up inside him begin to ebb away.

He sneaked a sideways glance at her. She had her elbows on the counter, her chin cupped in her hands, and was staring dreamily off into space, smiling. She did this often. What could she be thinking of? New ways to torment him? Schemes to get into trouble as soon as he wasn't looking? Or maybe she was mulling over his feelings this very minute, the same way some people would browse through an amusing book. He brushed away the impulse to go sit somewhere else. He was no coward, and besides, she could be thinking of things completely unrelated to him. Perhaps she was daydreaming of the long-lost father she always spoke so fondly of.

His eyes strayed over to her again. Now that she'd shed her fear and doubt, it was as if a veil had been drawn back from a light; she was more beautiful than ever, more woman than girl, and consequently fiercer, her power having greater focus and force. There were times when even he had trouble meeting her eyes without discomfort. Although she'd probably deny it, the two of them were as similar as they were different: In looks they were like night and day, but inside they were stubborn, strong-willed, proud; both equally determined to have their own way. If one were weaker than the other, that one would have given in by now, and there'd be no contention between the two.

For a few tantalizing weeks, he'd been sure that he'd almost had her. After he'd kissed her that first time, she'd tried to build a figurative armor around herself to hide behind. He'd attempted to break through, knowing that if he found one chink in that armor, the rest would crumble. But now the armor was gone, replaced by self-assured resolve, and he couldn't break that.

Deep down, he knew something that he didn't want to think about, something that burned inside him like acid; no matter what way he looked at it, he was coming out the loser in this serious game they were playing. He loved her. And worse, he knew now that she must know it. It would have been some comfort at least to believe that she couldn't know for sure what was in his Heart, that he could deceive her as easily as he deceived others; but with his new realization of her powers, even that comfort was denied to him. It was torture to have her so close, and so unreachable. He wanted to hold her again as he had two nights ago, twining his fingers in her hair and breathing in the scent of her skin…

Law stood up abruptly. He had to get away from her—just looking at the way her hair spilled over her shoulder, touched by the muted lights overhead, was making his hands itch with the temptation to caress her face, to brush past her delicate cheek and down her neck, or else to wrap around her slender waist, pulling her close…No, it was definitely time to go.

He bid her a brisk goodnight, then strode off toward the control room. Perhaps Neal would be up for a late game of chess. Anything to distract him from that girl…

He thought ruefully of the way things were changing; not long ago he wouldn't have hesitated to touch her, enjoying the way she'd try to pull away from him. Now that he knew how much he wanted her to love him there were boundaries that he couldn't cross: he couldn't risk losing what friendship he had with her. He'd have to make sure that the door between their rooms was locked tonight, and that someone besides himself had the key. Though, come to think of it, she was gaining strength exceptionally fast; she just might kick his ass if he tried anything. He sighed and shook his head. He couldn't let that happen; she'd never let him forget it.

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Shinju was still smiling after he left. Pushing her empty cup away from her, she rose and stretched languorously. Since he had discontinued his near-constant observance of her doings, she had more freedom to follow her own pursuits without him being any the wiser. She figured she could fit in one more training session before bed; instead of heading to the training room, however, she went straight to her own room.

The divan and small table had been pushed against the wall, leaving the center of the room empty; her easel and the paints, brushes, and paper that were usually scattered helter-skelter had been carefully put away. It's not that she didn't want to paint scenes of her adventure in the Forest of Illusions, she just didn't have time. She didn't know when Law would notice her new training routine, and it was imperative that she take every opportunity to use her new independence as often as possible.

She couldn't really explain to herself why she was so insistent on keeping her growing talent a secret; sure, some of it had to do with the fact that she naturally kept things to herself. She always had. But she couldn't help but wonder, in the back of her mind, if she was preparing herself for the day that she may have to fight Law. She didn't want that day to come, and if things went as planned, it wouldn't. But she wouldn't remain a captive forever; her eighteenth birthday was approaching, and she had too many plans for her life to spend her best years in any state other than freedom.

Drawing out a blue cloth bag from her pocket, she removed from it a single white pebble. Then, sitting cross-legged on the floor, she placed the white pebble directly in front of herself, closed her eyes, and _focused._

For a long time, nothing happened. She was as still and silent as if she herself had turned to stone, and the very air in the room seemed tense and expectant, charged with energy. Then, with a startlingly loud _snap,_ the pebble broke into two separate pieces that flew to either end of the room, hitting the walls.

A slow, exultant smile curled the ends of her mouth. _She had done that. _With her will, with a power that dwelled within her and would _always_ dwell within her, she had physically altered something without physically interacting with it. She was just taking baby steps now, just feeling the edges of her ability, but once she got the hang of it, the only true limit would be her imagination and her daring. Excitement coursed through her as she thought of all the things she could do; this power, this "haki" could be an armor to protect her from harm, a sword when she had no physical weapon, a way to reach out and influence, inspire, or intimidate others in ways that few others could manage. With this, she could never _truly _behelpless. And the best part was that she had always had it; it was a part of her, and she only needed to unlock it. The incident at Kithtor had merely been a glimpse, and removing her fear and doubt had removed the final obstacle. Now she need only master it.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her sudden excitement. This was only the beginning; she mustn't get too far ahead of herself. But she knew she could do it, and she knew how to be patient. She would do what she had done when she first began to train herself, the rules by which she unconsciously lived her life: keep the final goal in mind but focus all her will on the here and now, persevere, meditate, and—most of all—be unyieldingly persistent. If she could move pebbles, then, if she worked with all her might and her mind, she could move mountains.

With another smile, she reached into the cloth bag and placed two pebbles before her.

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Shinju awoke earlier than usual hoping to grab a quick snack from the kitchen, then do some more of her secret training while everyone else was at breakfast. She was sleepy but elated: her control of her haki was developing faster than she had dared to hope it would.

Leaving her room, Shinju set off through the sleeping ship towards the galley. The halls were dark and silent, the paneled floor cool on her bare feet. She enjoyed the times when everyone was asleep and she seemed to have the whole submarine to herself. The few windows she passed filtered in the pearly half-light of approaching dawn; the storm outside had finally calmed into the island's customary drizzly grey weather.

Entering the dining room and closing the door softly behind her, she turned expectantly toward the kitchen, waiting to hear Gale's cheerful greeting. She was often one of the first ones awake, and sometimes hung around to give the good-natured cook someone to talk to while he prepared breakfast.

But there was no one there. The light was on, but the portly blond man was not humming over the stove or rummaging among the haphazardly stacked pots and pans. That was odd…he was usually up by now; it took a lot of work to prepare food for a whole crew of hungry pirates.

Not yet feeling apprehensive, Shinju reached out with her other sense. What she felt made her dash around the counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the room; he was there all right, but he was _not_ conscious. She found him lying on the floor, the pieces of a broken ceramic bowl scattered nearby. His face was pale and sweaty, with an unnatural pallid green tinge around his mouth and eyes. She didn't need to know much about illness to see that he was very sick.

It seemed that the forest was not through with them yet; and this time, they might not escape unscathed.

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Shinju pounded on Law's door, having wasted no time in running back the way she had come as fast as she could. He answered immediately, looking, as he always did, as if he hadn't slept at all.

"What is it?"

"It's Gale—" she gasped, "I just found him—he's really sick, unconscious, in the galley—"

"Did you touch him or move him in any way?"

She shook her head.

"Good. Stay in your room until I say it's safe to leave." He had adopted the brisk, efficient manner he used in any danger, and although she knew he was worried, he didn't let it show in his face or voice.

Shinju nodded and did as he told her to, though she couldn't stop pacing restlessly around her small room, frowning and nibbling worriedly on a thumbnail, something she only did when she was fretting and couldn't meditate. Never having been sick in her life, she had no idea what it was like, and in her innocence could not really imagine herself catching anything. Nevertheless, it was frightening being up against a nameless, faceless enemy, especially when she had just gained so much confidence in herself. Could she fight something that she couldn't see or understand?

.

It seemed like an eternity had passed. Fears and doubts and answerless questions swirled through her mind, and she was just managing to calm herself and sort through them when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find Aaron, looking tense and unhappy.

"How's Gale doing?" she asked at once.

Aaron grimaced. "Not good. Captain's with him. He's gonna find out what's wrong with him, and if there isn't a traditional medicine for it—and there probably isn't—he's gonna have to make an antidote." Seeing her anxious look, he added, "don't worry Shinju. He's an excellent doctor. If anyone can save Gale, he can."

She inhaled shakily, and raised her chin a bit higher. "Right."

Despite his confident assurances, Shinju knew that there was plenty that he wasn't saying; the fact that Law might not find the cure in time; that some diseases _had_ no cure; that it might be contagious, that whole crews of pirates had been wiped out by disease on this most dangerous of all oceans. There was no point in saying such things; everyone knew them, was already thinking them, and would continue thinking them long into the night as they lay awake, peaceful sleep eluding them. All they could do was trust in Law. He was their only hope.

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When Shinju reentered the dinning room, she found that many of the crew were loitering around, eating non-perishable food that they had dug from the pantry—none of them knowing how to cook—while some were lounging around the table with their heads in their hands, having no desire for food. The atmosphere of unease was tangible, especially to Shinju's senses. Their fear was only contained by natural courage and their faith in their captain.

Shinju and the crew spent the day trying to keep from getting under each others feet. Law ordered several men to gather information on the island's flora and fauna, and to ask questions of the natives to aid in his research. The mixture of anxiety, hope, and dread that everyone was feeling kept tempers short. Some, like Shinju, decided to vent their stress in the training room, others polished weapons or mended clothes. Bepo slept, to no ones surprise. He, at least, didn't have to worry much about getting sick: it was unlikely that a bear could catch a human illness.

Shinju wondered what mysterious arts were necessary in curing a disease, and was plagued by the impulse to sneak to the infirmary and see how Gale was doing. She knew that she'd better not, though; Law had banned anyone from disturbing his work unless their business was urgent, and would be snappish to the extreme if she interrupted him with her questions. So she sighed and mustered up her patience to wait along with all the others, hoping that things would get better soon. Her last thought before she went to bed was that if anyone else had to get sick, she hoped it would be Temlin. He had always been mean to her. Then she felt immediately ashamed of herself.

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She awoke suddenly late that night, at first unsure what had startled her out of sleep. Then she heard it again: distant voices raised in alarm or distress. Unhesitating, she slipped on her bathrobe and went to investigate.

The commotion was coming from the crew's quarters: light spilled down the hall from the open door, and she could just make out a glimpse of neat rows of beds through the press of men standing in the entrance.

"What's going on?"

Kenta turned to face her, his expression drawn and grim.

"Go back to bed."

"What's going on?" she repeated.

He paused for a moment, then spoke. The words left his mouth stiffly, as if he feared that voicing them would turn what seemed like merely a bad dream into an incontrovertible truth.

"Aaron is sick now."

She knew in an instant what this meant to him. He and Aaron were Law's first crewmen, besides Bepo; they'd been through thick and thin together, from faraway in the North Blue to here in the last ocean on earth.

Kenta stood aside as Martino and Vash carried his friend out on a stretcher, incapable of helping them as his arm was still bound up in a sling. Shinju quietly departed, unable to look at Aaron's face.

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Not bothering to turn on the light, Shinju sat at the edge of her bed, staring unseeing at the opposite wall. She felt cold and numb and older than she'd ever felt before. Fear, real fear, started to awaken in her Heart. Aaron had treated her like a person since the beginning; not a pest or a joke or a lab rat, but just another person. If he died…

Slowly she looked down and gazed intently for a long time at the little white pebble resting on the palm of her hand. What good was it? What was the point of having such incredible power if it couldn't save people she cared about?

Clenching her fist until her nails dug into her skin, she bit her lip and closed her eyes, then tossed the pebble to the floor and flung herself facedown on her bed, her face buried in her pillow.

What if Law caught it next? What if she never told him her feelings?

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The reflection that greeted her in her bathroom mirror the next morning accurately represented how she felt; pale and tired, with puffy reddened eyes. She had tossed and turned all night, and the sleep that she did manage to get was haunted by dark dreams. She didn't want to face what the day might bring, and considered just going back to bed. With an inward sigh, however, she decided to stick it out.

After a long moment of staring blankly at the mirror, she finally raised a brush to her hair, and dazedly went on with her morning routine.

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Entering the dining room was not heartening. Cold grey fog pressed against the windows, but the weather outside looked almost cheerful in comparison to the gloom that had descended into the midst of the heart Pirates. Even Bepo looked more dejected than ever.

Two more men had taken ill in the night while Shinju lay worrying: Martino had soon joined Aaron, and in the early hours of the morning Vash had been unable to rise for look-out duty. The hush that had fallen over everyone was like that of a funeral. They were all wondering who the sickness would strike down next.

No one greeted her as she entered the galley, each being absorbed in his own thoughts. She was halfway through making a light breakfast when something occurred to her.

"Um…does anyone know if…if Law has left the infirmary at all since this all started?" she asked the room at large.

A few shook their heads, and Kenta said in a hoarse voice "he hasn't—and he won't until he makes the antidote, you can count on that. He's that stubborn. There'll be hell to pay if you disturb him when he's in the middle of something." He shot her a sideways glance, then added, "at second thought, _you_ might get away with it, but you probably shouldn't risk it" as if reading her mind.

She bit her lip for a moment, brow furrowed, then her expression cleared as she made up her mind. Rummaging through the cupboards, she found a tray, and set on it a plate of the food she had just made and a cup of tea. Then she took a deep breath and set out with her burden towards the infirmary and its occupants.

.

Balancing the tray on her hip, she used her free hand to turn the door handle, not bothering to knock; if he didn't know she was there, he couldn't immediately order her to leave.

The air within bore the indefinable scent of sickness. All four beds were occupied; in the one nearest to her, Aaron lay muttering, delirious with fever. At the furthest bed, Gale's breathing issued rough and labored. The counter all around the room was spread with a dizzying array of glass vials, jars of unknown compounds, papers, and things Shinju could only assume were ingredients for medicine.

Law was at the furthest end of the room. She watched him read intently from an enormous book, then peer into a microscope, adjusting a dial and moving the slide underneath a little. At his left a little glass vial hung suspended over a small flame, its contents a vivid green.

"You shouldn't be here." He said without turning, his voice terse.

"I brought you some food."

He didn't reply, but she judged by his emotions that he was somewhat mollified. She advanced and placed the tray on the nearest bit of clear counter space, then stood, uncertain of what to do. What she could see of his face was haggard and wan; she wanted to say something to him, to ask how it was going or to say something encouraging, but she couldn't find words that sounded right. The fate of all their lives rested on his shoulders, and suddenly anything she could say seemed to her to be inadequate.

With a sigh, she said "you should eat something" then turned to leave.

"Wait, Shinju…"

She looked back; he leaned with both palms flat against the countertop, still facing away from her.

"I don't want you to say anything to the others, incase I'm wrong, but I think I've almost got it. Just…take care of yourself, alright?"

He finally turned round to look at her, then glanced at the tray she'd brought.

"And take that with you." He ordered. "You shouldn't bring food in here."

"I'll come back to get the dishes."

He made an impatient sound. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

The smallest of smiles touched her lips. "Thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment!"

She closed the door gently, feeling hope welling up inside her. "Take care of yourself", he'd said…

He was doing everything he could to help them all out of this. Now it was her turn to do her part.

With a new resolve in mind, she set her course back to the galley and the dejected crew.

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Shinju marched into the dining room decisively, her eyes sweeping the room like those of a general surveying a field of battle. Briskly, she clapped her hands twice, gaining everyone's attention.

"Ok everybody, listen up! It's time to get to work."

They stared at her blankly. "…work?"

"Yes. Seeing as our cook is presently unavailable, I'm going to be preparing meals today, starting with lunch. And you're all going to help."

"Says who?"

Alright, time to play the guilt card. She made her voice severe and admonishing. "Look at this place."

She gestured to the room, inviting them to take in the crumbs and dishes on the table, the few empty food cans and wrappers scattered on the counter.

"Do you really want the first thing Gale sees when he gets better is his kitchen left a mess? Do you really want your Captain to know that when things get bad, you're to busy moping and feeling sorry for yourselves to shoulder a little responsibility?"

There was some guilty shuffling and injured looks at this. Really, it wasn't _that_ bad.

"So are you going to help me or not?" she glared at them all.

"Uh, well, I guess…"

Her expression instantly changed to an endearing smile. "Excellent. Let's start with clearing off these tables…"

There was a flurry of activity as she snapped out orders left and right, delegating a different task to each man. They complied reluctantly with bewildered expressions, hardly knowing how they'd let themselves get dragged into this. Overlooking their progress, Shinju caught sight of Temlin lounging in one corner of the room, a smirk on his face. Her eyes narrowed.

"Why aren't you working?" she demanded.

His upper lip curled even more. "I don't know what's gotten into everyone, but _I_ don't take orders from brats."

"Oh, I see" she made her voice casual, examining the nails of her left hand. "I guess that means you don't want to eat today, then."

"If you really think that you can—" he snarled, but she cut him off.

"—Try me." She looked directly into his eyes, and he saw the kind of dangerous glint that he and the rest of the crew feared to see in their captain's eyes.

In the beginning, he had treated her like a common wench of no account, had made cutting and demeaning remarks, had bullied her in the training room. Through it all she'd made not one complaint. After it became apparent that his captain had a "thing" for her, as he thought of it, his manner towards her changed to became falsely polite and often indecently suggestive. Still, she had taken it all and said no word. The girl standing before him now, however, seemed to be an entirely different person, and his small, narrow mind was finally starting to grasp some things that were making him very uncomfortable.

"Well?" she asked. Not waiting for a reply she said "This floor is kind of dirty. It would look much nicer if someone mopped it. Unless, of course, you're not hungry."

His mouth hung open for a few moments, then he thrust himself out of his chair and stomped flat-footed to the cleaning supply closet.

"Oh, and Temlin…"

He turned to glower at her.

"Don't even _think_ of slamming the door."

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Later that evening, as she started putting things together to make a meat and vegetable stir-fry (while standing on a small footstool in the now sparkling kitchen so she could easily reach the stove) Shinju smiled happily at her success. Sure, the guys were all grumbling and giving her mutinous looks, and Bepo had squabbled with Jean Bart every two seconds, but not one of them had had time to mull over their present situation while they were working.

"Why are you so cheerful all of a sudden, anyway?" Kenta asked, bringing a bunch of freshly cleaned washcloths back from the laundry and dumping them on the counter.

"Oh, I just thought we needed a change of mood. It was getting really depressing around here."

Temlin spat acidly "it's not like pretending nothin's wrong will make it just disappear—"

"—Less talking, more mopping!"

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When dinner was ready, Shinju passed everyone their plate over the counter as Gale normally did, jokingly telling them that anyone who complained about her cooking wouldn't get breakfast, but secretly being rather worried that they wouldn't like it. She'd never prepared food for so many people at once.

She needn't have worried, though; there was a general murmur of appreciation, and Neal even suggested that she work full-time as Gale's helper; she could give him cooking lessons.

She was just sitting down to join them when the door opened, and Law came in. A hush fell instantly as everyone looked at him, startled, and waited with bated breath to hear what he would say.

He paused for a moment, looking them over, then he smiled.

"I've done it. The antidote's been administered; if all goes as I expect it to, the others should be recovering."

There was a stunned silence, then everyone cheered deafeningly, and there were shouts of "that's our Captain!" and "we knew you'd do it!"

He raised a hand for silence and told them "I need to give everyone an immunization shot so we don't get any more outbreaks. We can wait for a bit, though—this seems like a good time for a little celebration."

Everyone cheered again as Shinju ran to fetch the saké, and dinner became a party.

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The atmosphere had done a 360 in record time; Shinju could here snatches of song and voices uplifted in laughter and lighthearted conversation as she washed dishes in the kitchen. A smile kept appearing on her face as she bent her head over her work.

There was a quiet knock on the door frame as Law entered. He crossed the room to lean against the counter next to her. She turned her face to smile at him.

"Well, the triumphant doctor emerges. How is everyone doing?"

"Better already. Kenta's watching over them. The illness set in rapidly, and there's every chance that it will reverse almost as quickly. We'll be able to continue our journey soon."

She nodded. Safely escaping one danger, they'd recklessly throw themselves into the teeth of more dangers, each threat likely to be more perilous than the last. She was eager to go, though. Somewhere out there was the one she sought, the one who had left her with too many unanswered questions, too many unopened doors.

Something about the way her eyes stared off into the distant future, and the longing he saw in them, caused him to guess who she was thinking of.

"You really want to find him, don't you?"

"Yes" she said softly.

He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning slightly. "He left you." It was an accusation. "I don't understand why you're so fond of him, considering he abandoned you."

She shook her head with a tolerant expression. "No, I left before he came back. It was my choice. I don't regret it; it was time for me to go off on my own. I always made my own decisions, even if they went against what he told me to do. He'd understand. But I always knew that I would find him. It will happen." She said this with a fierce conviction.

She could remember that when she was quite young, she had felt sad that she could not follow in her father's footsteps; he was not a fighter, but used his great strength and wisdom to resolve conflict without violence. Her nature was different; her inner self had claws and fangs, and was meant to use them. She would embrace her personality, accepting that she was different from the one she most admired, and grow into her true potential. She knew he would be proud of her no matter what she did.

"Are you hoping that your father with help you gain your freedom from me?"

She smiled again, and her answer surprised him. "No. Even if he offered his help, I wouldn't accept it, and I don't think he will offer it."

"Why?" this didn't sound very fatherly.

"Because he knows that I can take care of myself, that I have to deal with my own problems and live my own adventures. He wouldn't expect me to ask for help; he knows me too well." She could remember how often he used to sigh at her stubbornness, could still feel the mixture of pride and love and fear that would ache in his Heart when he'd look at her.

There was a long silence broken only by the chinking of dishes as Law thought this over. Then he moved to stand behind her, and she felt him place a pendant of some kind around her neck. She looked down to see the brilliant green stone that they had won from the Forest of Illusions, gripped tightly by a thin leather string. He tied the knot at the nape of her neck.

"But—" she protested "—this is—"

"I want you to hold on to it for me. I think you have a greater chance of finding out what it can do than any of us."

She placed her hand over it, feeling its strange power, like the hum of a tiny vibration in a guitar string. Then Law wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a close hug.

"Thank you, Shinju." He whispered into her hair. "I know what you did for the crew. You really make a difference around here."

"You're welcome."

She let him hold her a moment longer, then gently unwound his arms and stepped closer to the sink. He let her go reluctantly, with pain that she felt at the edge of her senses, bitter and aching.

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Shinju lay back on her bed with an exhausted sigh, watching shadows shift and play on the ceiling. Talking about her father made her want to see him again even more, the yearning like a constant pain in her Heart.

Absentmindedly she rubbed the circular scar on her chest not knowing why it hurt. It had been made by a bullet many weeks ago, in the city of Sem Perayaan.

Rather than a peaceful vision of her father, her last though before sleep took her was an image of a man with wild red hair and orange eyes, a man who's Heart bore the scent of fire and blood.

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To Be Continued


	13. The Land of Blood and Fire

From the ashes a Phoenix has risen! Yes, readers, I've finally dragged my lazy butt to the computer a written a new chapter. This is an early Christmas present to you all. I just finished it, so there is likely plenty of typos, but I intend to refine and improve it (and my other chapters) when I have time. I'd like to thank everyone for reading, and for all the reviews. You guys are so great for having faith in me! Please enjoy the chapter, and have a wonderful holiday season.

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The Land of Blood and Fire

Law leaned against the large metal door, his hat casting a dark shadow on his face in the bright noon sun. Many of his men were also on deck; Jean Bart and Bepo were bickering (as usual), Aaron and Kenta were talking animatedly, Vash and a few others were conducting sparring matches for practice and exercise. All were enjoying the good weather and the relaxing, if brief, respite from enemy attack. The crew had fully recovered from the illness that had stricken many of them at the island of Rhith, and now, with the next destination in sight, they were revved up and ready for more adventure. Not that they hadn't gotten plenty in the past weeks, but a change of scenery and a chance to step on land would be welcome.

The island they were approaching had caused no small amount of awe and amazement when it came in view: although it was still quite far away, one feature was distinct: rising from the center of the island was a tree so colossal that even when gazing at it in the clear light of day, the men could hardly believe their eyes. Its top touched the clouds; flocks of gigantic birds seemed as small as gnats against the backdrop of its enormity. It could very well be the largest living thing in the world.

Law pulled his eyes away from their contemplation of the great tree, and once again returned to studying a certain person who was at this moment engaged in a lively sparring match with Gale. She was the only female on board, a fact that the others never stopped noticing and which she hardly ever gave a thought to. Her long white hair was vivid in the sunlight; she was barefoot, wearing dark pants, a wide belt, and a length of linen bandage binding her breasts tightly, which she seemed to favor in place of a shirt. A metal collar encircled her neck, and, beneath it, a sparkling green stone hung as a pendant from a leather cord.

Shinju was grinning victoriously, having just defeated Gale. There was a sheen of sweat on her skin and color in her face; she was elated, laughing and joking with the men… Law had noticed that her confidence and skill had grown in leaps and bounds in the past few weeks; he suspected that she'd been training her haki in secret. She had a powerful will, it was true…but was it, could it be, inherited will? No, there was no way to tell, not yet. He was _really _getting curious about that father of hers. Meeting him could answer a lot of questions about his daughter. But in the meantime, he had to concentrate on making her stronger, it was key to her survival. He had even started to train her personally: she'd been getting overconfident, and needed to be taken down a notch…a little smirk twisted his mouth as he recalled their last training session…

She had succeeded in catching him off guard for just a moment, and in managing to bring him to one knee, had shouted " Ha!" with a big grin; in about a second he had her pinned beneath him to the floor, his hands holding her wrists in place and his grinning face inches from her now startled countenance while the men cheered and whistled behind them.

"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

"Get off me!"

He had released her and backed away, still smiling, and calmly ordered her to proceed with the match, but not without lingering a moment to enjoy the blush that spread across her face, his lips so close to her own…

He had to distract himself with these pleasant thoughts, because if he didn't, his mind would turn to the serious problem she posed…she really was determined not to join his crew, even when they were getting along better than they ever had…if she didn't change, if he couldn't persuade her, he might really have no choice but to… no, he wasn't going to think of it. There was, after all, no rush, he could wait longer. He could forestall the conclusion as long as he wanted to…

There was something he had to tell her, however. She wasn't going to like it. He approached he where she was leaning against the rail, watching Vash and Martino face off.

"Shinju."

She turned to face him, smiling. "Hm?"

"I don't think I want you coming with us this time. I know you made yourself useful last time, but it was rash of me to let you come into a situation that dangerous. You'll be safer on the ship."

She looked at him consideringly, without anger. She knew he didn't want her to be upset about his decision, or he wouldn't have bothered telling her in so many words. She'd had a feeling that this was coming, though, and already had an argument prepared.

Wearing a serious expression—"_my reasonable but resolute face" _she thought privately—she replied "Seeing as this is the New World, there's no guarantee that you'll come back alive, correct?"

"Yes…"

"And yet, my life is bound to yours. Even if I stay safe, you know what will happen to me if _you _die."

He winced a little, and looked away. It was true, and it had bothered him for a while; if he died, the power of his devil fruit would disappear from anything he was using it on. Including her heart. He had managed to quell his conscience on the matter with the reasoning that if they were faced against something that could kill him, it would likely kill all of them—they _were _all literally in the same boat—however this argument wouldn't work if he was separated from her.

"But if you let me come with you," she went on, "at least I'll be able to have some say in the matter—I'll be able to fight along side you. I want to be able to do everything I can to protect my own life. I think I should have a right to do that." And she left it at that. It was vital not to overexert her case, but to let it stand on its own; she had enough experience arguing with him by now to know that.

He was silent in frowning thought for a minute, then he sighed and rubbed a knuckle against his forehead. "Fine. You can come. But Shinju, " he was suddenly stern—

"I know, I know" she grinned, "I'll be good. I promise."

And with their dispute won, she happily went to her room to prepare to disembark.

She thought about how things had changed between them over the past few weeks. He still teased her—and enjoyed it, too—and they still argued about something or another in almost every conversation they had, but there was much more friendliness and respect in his manner than there'd been before. She found that the distrust that she'd held against him for so long and her disapproval of him were fading; that was not too surprising, such feelings of suspicion had been a form of self defense that had been a part of her for years, but she was finally growing out of that attitude. He often sat beside her when she sketched or painted, and she found herself telling him things about her past that she had never discussed with anyone, besides her first friend, Arianna. She described her home before her father had left—how he'd taught her to fish, the little toys he had made for her when she was small, the music he'd play and sing by the fire in winter—and she told stories of her life of survival before she'd set off, alone, when she was fifteen. The only thing she still didn't like to talk about was her brief time living alone with her mother…but there was no reason to dwell on the bad memories. It felt good to share her past with someone without feeling like she was complaining.

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Shinju felt worry gnawing at her insides as they went ashore. What awaited them on this island? Would they meet other famous pirates? She had heard that Blackbeard, the dangerous and violent man who had been the one who triggered the battle of Marineford, and his crew were targeting any pirates who had devil fruit powers that he found worth stealing. She hoped with all her heart that Blackbeard would never catch wind of Law. Though, if they did meet him, it was likely that they wouldn't survive the encounter whether he wanted Law's power or not.

Looking at the magnificence of the tree that towered above them in the distance, Shinju remembered that, a long time ago, her father had once told her of a great tree called "Adam", whose wood was coveted because it was so durable, and could make ships of unparalleled strength. He had never given any description of the land in which that tree grew, and as she gazed around, Shinju thought she could probably guess why.

The sun was behind them, and in its glare they could see stretched before them a land of terrible desolation. They walked through a silent landscape of wreckage, destroyed buildings, and craters that seemed to have been made by powerful explosions; in the distance columns of black smoke rose towards the sky. The land was shaped by craggy cliffs and deep gullies and looked as if it had once been formed by water, but there was no water now, just dust and sand. The stones were red, as if stained by centuries of blood, and the heat of the sun reflected off the earth, making the air shimmer. Even the wind was hot, and it reeked of smoke. The Heart Pirates walked with apprehension through a land that looked as if it had been torn by war without end.

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Casting a glance aside, Shinju saw a lizard crawl out of the eye socket of the skull of a large animal that lay in the ravine through which they walked. It observed them with beady eyes, and then skittered back into the cool darkness of its shelter as they passed. She almost wished she could join him; the breeze blew dust in her eyes, and she could already feel her sweaty skin getting coated with grime. She thought longingly of taking a cold shower.

"Ahh, I _hate _hot weather like this" Bepo whined plaintively. "My fur is getting soaked with sweat…I want some shade…and some water…Jean Bart, don't stand so close! You're crowding me!"

Jean Bart ignored him.

"Bepo, keep your voice down!" Aaron scolded. "and stop whining, we're all hot…"

He and most of the other men had shrugged off the top half of their heavy one-pieced suits, tying the sleeves around their waists. They wore black sleeveless shirts underneath. Shinju wondered if Law regretted wearing hid hoodie and fuzzy hat. She'd never seen him not wearing the hat, though—he probably wouldn't take it off no matter what the weather was like. It was some sort of pirate fashion statement, or something.

Suddenly he halted mid step, one arm held out to signal the others to do the same. For a moment, Shinju wondered why, then she felt it too; someone was approaching.

In the cliff-face ahead of them were several dark holes, almost like the holes of a beehive; they had passed numerous others like them. They waited with bated breath, and out of the holes crawled about a dozen giant lizards. There where humans riding them as if they were horses.

The leader of this group spotted the pirates in the ravine below them, and with a gesture arranged his troops into formation and surged forward. Their mounts slithered over the steep and rocky ground effortlessly and with great speed. Law unsheathed his sword and took his fighting stance, Shinju and the others copied him. In a matter of moments they were surrounded.

They were obviously soldiers, and were heavily armed and dressed in camouflage pants, sleeveless shirts and leather armor. Their lizard steeds were greenish grey with wide, evil looking red eyes and lots of very sharp teeth. Their front legs were muscular and had claws that were shaped as if they were made for digging. It was also apparent, now that they were close, that the leader of these troops was female. Shinju briefly envied the young woman's tan skin and muscular physique, and felt very insignificant, almost ridiculous even, holding her two hunting blades. These soldiers had machine guns, and every one of them was aimed at Law and his men. Shinju felt sweat trickle down her back. Maybe her coming on this island was a bad idea after all…With an inward frown, she steeled herself. It was in the power of ones Will, not the nature of ones weapons, where strength truly lay. Maybe she wasn't strong enough yet, but come hell or high water, she was going to try.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The woman demanded in a flat voice. She had the hard eyes of one who had seen battle all her life.

"My name is Trafalgar Law. I'm a pirate. My business here is my own."

Shinju held her breath, as some of the men surrounding them looked angry at Laws arrogant tone. The lizards shifted restlessly, eyeing them in a way that suggested hunger. The woman, however, seemed quite unfazed.

"Do you work for our enemies, the Hezûrin, or intend to give them aid?"

Law's eyes narrowed. "I work for no one but myself."

She considered him for a few moments, then lowered her weapon. Her troops did the same, somewhat reluctantly.

"That's good to hear, Trafalgar Law. There's enough trouble in this country without outsiders interfering."

"I did kind of get that impression."

"What exactly is going on in this land? Why is there so much fighting?" Shinju blurted the question before Law could silence her. He cast her an angry glance, but she ignored it. The devastation of this country had filled her with an almost desperate curiosity, a longing for explanation; what could possibly have caused so much war? What reason could there be?

The female commander raised her eyebrows, almost as surprised as if a dog had spoken; clearly, she thought Shinju was of very little account. But she decided to answer the question.

"My people are in a desperate struggle to defeat or oppressors, the Hezûrin. Our vengeance against their evil race had been long in the making, and our victory over them will be sweet. When it is completed, this land will be in our hands, and there will be peace at last. We are hindered, though, by the marines attempting to gain control for their government, and by revolutionaries who try to lure our soldiers to their own side with promises of an end to war. They don't get any deserters from _our _side, I can tell you—"she raised her head proudly—"there are none in the Akkedisian army. _We_ deal with cowards before they can betray and dishonor us."

With a sudden flash of insight, Shinju realized that "cowards", those who had tired of the endless bloodshed and cruelty and violence, were probably despised even more than the enemy.

The woman turned her attention back to Law.

"If you're looking for civilization, keep following this gorge until it forks, and take the left path. We're doing well against our enemies, but we can always use the revenue our weapons-dealers make from new faces like you. You should consider paying them a visit." There was a somewhat sardonic twist to her voice as her eyes roved over their group, lingering for a moment on Shinju, who met her eyes unflinching.

"Thanks for the advice." His voice and smile denoted anything but thankfulness.

"Anytime. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Hezûrin ambush party to outwit."

Shaking the reins of her mount, she led her troops past them, the ground trembling beneath their feet. They sped up the side of the gorge and were gone.

Aaron smirked after their retreating figures. "Wouldn't have been so cocky if they'd known what you could do, would they, Captain?" Being nearly anonymous in the New World, when they had been so feared in the first half of the grand line, always made the crews pride twinge a bit.

Law shrugged as he sheathed his sword and placed it against his shoulder. "There was no need to fight them. We're not getting mixed up in pointless brawls if we can avoid it."

The time would come when he'd get the recognition he deserved and needed, but that time was not now. There were still things he needed to know before he set his larger plans into motion. He hadn't liked the woman's implication that they were not well armed, though, and the thought of seeing what the weapons dealers in this country had to offer was an opportunity he didn't want to miss. He'd take her up on her suggestion.

They continued on through the desolate land, their senses more strained and alert than ever. There was no knowing what they might encounter in this war zone.

Despite the need for vigilance, Shinju found herself gazing again at the canopy of the great tree high above them; it was so green, so peaceful, and so very different from the land beneath it. She wondered if the tree produced its own atmosphere, as the trees on Sabaody did. If it were possible for people to reach the treetop, there would be no better place for a hidden city. Those who had woken to the horror of the lives they lived, who wanted to escape the constant war of the lower lands, could flee to a tranquil haven in the tree.

Her imagination stirred at the romantic idea, and she was lost in picturing such a place when the group halted again, everyone braced with sudden tension. They could feel, in the stones beneath their feet; the vibration of someone, or some_thing_, approaching.

A breath later there was a shockingly loud explosion. On the cliff side ahead of them fire and loose rocks were pouring from another set of holes—holes Shinju guessed had been made by the lizards that the people of the land used for transportation. Though they seemed to have reptilian shape, these things that slithered out of the greasy black smoke and bore down on them were _not _lizards.

The machines that advanced were like none that they had ever seen: over eight feet long, they were made of the bones of some large creature, coated with black metal, they moved with muscles made of fine chain woven intricately through steel rods and gears. Six "legs" on either side had pulleys for joints, with three joints per leg: each leg ended in a cluster of long knives. They grappled over the earth with alarming speed and movements that were hair-raisingly eerie, so alien in a thing crafted by human hands. The front of each was bristling with great curved blades and had a large pointed head, shielded by an iron visor. The men sitting atop these machines were also clad head to toe in black bone armor, their faces visored to make them appear like fearsome humanoid insects. All in all, Shinju thought they looked like something directly out of a steampunk-themed nightmare.

"Shinju, get behind us. Now." Law had already drawn his sword. She didn't argue, but stepped back, Jean Bart, Aaron, and Kenta standing around her as protection while the others stood on either side of their captain.

In seconds the bone-plated riders and their death machines had the entire group surrounded. As they came to a halt, the visors of the armored machines opened with a series of loud clanks, exposing a mouthful of gun barrels, pointed directly at them.

For a few, very long moments, there was no sound save for the quiet scrape of the wind blowing dust and red sand over the barren ground. Then, the leader of the armored men spoke in a slow, deep voice.

You do not appear to be our enemies, the foul Akkedisians. Are you pirates?"

"Yes."

There was another long pause, in which he seemed to study them without much interest. Shinju saw his Heart, and it was as hollow as a cavern in the earth.

"Have you any connection with the Akkedisians? Do you work for—"

"I don't work for anyone." It was tiresome to go through this again. Law smiled coldly. "Is this land always so unwelcoming to visitors?"

"Ever since the lizard-riders began their uprising, our relations with outsiders have suffered. When the rebels are crushed, and our king's iron grip on the land is once again secure, there will be peace. Until then, we must be suspicious of all foreigners."

If you're looking for lizard riders, we passed a group of them a little while ago. They seemed aware of your pursuit of them, however."

"Our enemies seem to be skillful at nothing other than running away." The man commented with great disdain. "I take it you are seeking the settlement that lies beyond the Valley of Bones?" Law nodded. "Then I trust you will purchase any weapons you desire from the Hezûrin dealers." The smirk in his voice was pronounced. "They are far superior to the scrap metal that the Akkedisians manage to cobble together."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The man nodded once, then with a gesture of his hand, he and the men he commanded moved past them and disappeared around a twist in the gorge.

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As they continued on through the winding ravine, Shinju grimly had to face the fact that if there had been a fight, there would have been little she could do except get out of the way. She was soout of her league on this sea, and _so _tired of being weaker than everyone around her. She tried to put the frustration out of her mind; thinking of anything but her goal would only slow her down even more. Still, it was hard.

The ravine narrowed and split into two separate paths; as instructed, they took the left path. Looking up yet again, Shinju saw that in the sky not far above them large black birds were wheeling in circles, like vultures that had spotted a kill. Carrion birds were probably common in this land for obvious reasons, but as Shinju squinted at the circling silhouettes, trying to see them through the glare of the sun, she seemed to perceive something odd about their shape. They must be very peculiar looking birds.

They'd not been walking ten more minutes when, rounding a bend, they met an unpleasant scene, and the weird shapes of the carrion birds was explained.

The carcass of a large four legged animal lay in the middle of the ravine, bloated by the heat and swarming with flies. It must have been a beast of burden, as the remains of leather packs were strewn about, but their contents had been burned or plundered. Also lying nearby were the bodies of two lizard mounts, and one destroyed death machine. It was clear that there had been a battle; the craters made by the blasts still smoked, and the shells of used ammunition were scattered over the ground.

Grouped in shrieking, snarling flocks, fighting noisily over places to perch, and tearing large chunks of bloody flesh from the remains, were the carrion birds. Only, they weren't birds. They were _rats. _Rats with big, fur covered wings.

Larger than even good sized dogs and evidently very wary of humans, every one of the two dozen or so of the creatures froze and looked at the intruders, their pointed muzzles dripping with gore and their long yellow teeth bared. It was evident that they did not like their meal being interrupted, judging by the low, threatening growls coming from most of them. The stench emanating from them and their feast was nauseating.

Whether because they feared that the humans were predators who would steal their meal, or because in this blood-soaked land they no longer cared whether their food was living or dead before they started eating, the filthy creatures attacked savagely.

Shinju grinned, her eyes gleaming as she drew her hunting knives. _This _was the kind of problem she could deal with. A natural hunter, she had killed larger animals than these when she had lived alone in the wild. When one made a wild swoop at her, its mouth agape, she sidestepped its attack and slashed its throat in one swift motion, then, lunging back at a rat that had approached from the side, she drove a knife through the back of the beasts' neck, just below the base of the skull. Another brute took a knife thrust to the heart.

Looking around as she caught her breath, she saw that the other rats were having similarly bad luck in their fight against her pirate companions. Finally, the few that had survived flew to a nearby cliff where they clung, snarling with rage and hate with foam dribbling from their mouths, but not daring to come any closer.

"Nasty little beasties, aren't they?" Shinju remarked casually as she cleaned her blades and sheathed them. "They don't seem to have _any_ redeeming qualities at all."

"Hardly worth the energy it took to kill them" Aaron said with a smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Let's get out of this stink."

As they left, Shinju looked back to see the remaining rats continue their feast, falling upon the bodies of their own kind with as much gusto as on the other dead. She turned away in disgust, reflecting on how the carnage created by the people of this land had in turn created beings that suited it perfectly.

Just past the rats and their grisly meal the path opened into a small, oval-shaped valley. They could see in the distance, at the furthest end of the gorge, that the ravine resumed its course. But what they had to pass through to get there made even the pirates speechless.

Every inch of ground in the valley was covered with human skeletons. They were piled on top of each other. Many wore the remains of armor, or clutched timeworn weapons. Shinju looked down at her feet and saw the bones of a human arm, its fingers still gripped around the stump of an ancient, long-dead scrub tree. Perhaps the human to whom these bones had belonged had grasped the tree in the agony of his death.

When at last she found her voice, Shinju gasped "but why are there so _many?_ Why here?"

Law stood surveying the scene, the dry wind blowing sand against his face. The wry smile on his lips didn't reach his eyes. "This was probably a favorite battle ground, or a place of ambush, for many years; decades, maybe even centuries. The location must have had some strategic significance—long forgotten now."

She couldn't keep the reproachful horror from her voice as she asked, "but why didn't they bury anyone?"

He laughed mirthlessly. "Come on Shinju, haven't you realized what the natives here are like? They don't have time for sentiment; they're too busy turning more people into corpses."

Her shoulders slumped. She knew it was true; all they thought about in this country was war. They probably didn't remember what started it. They probably didn't even care. A helpless sort of anger welled up in her Heart. It was just so pointless, so stupidly obscene.

The bitter amusement left Law's face. "Let's move on. This isn't exactly a good place to enjoy the view."

…

There was one narrow path that cut its way through the vast carpet of bones. Instead of going through the valley in a straight line, the track was frustratingly twisty-turvy. It would meander along in one direction, then for apparently no reason would cut sharply off to the side and go that way instead. Shinju wished desperately that it would not do this; it would take them twice as long to get out of this horrible place. She walked on doggedly, not looking to the left or right. Relics of the dead did not frighten her, but the presence of peoples Hearts left imprints on things; most especially on things that had been with them the longest. No person has any possession that is with them longer than their own body, and many of the skeletons around them were not so old that the imprints of their long-dead Hearts had faded. It was rather like walking through a field of ghosts.

"Hey, look!"

Shinju turned to see Orem, who was at the rear of the line, pointing off the trail at the rusted remains of a ruined machine that was half buried nearby.

The mechanic's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "I wouldn't mind getting a closer look at that." Thoughtlessly, he stepped off the trail.

"Orem! Get back on the trail!" Law's voice was sharp. Orem jerked back, startled, and the ground just ahead of him exploded, showering them with dirt and pieces of bone.

Shinju coughed, her eardrums aching from the detonation of the long forgotten landmine. Apparently, they did not have to be new to work. Orem, saved by the skin of his teeth, was sitting on the path, having been thrown off his feet by the shock. His eyes were comically wide in a face pitch-black with soot, and his hair stuck out in all directions.

The reason why the trail was so curvy was now explained.

"I hope you learned something from that" Law said acidly. "From now on, stay on the path."

Orem nodded wordlessly, the astonishment of having so narrowly escaped having his limbs blown off leaving him unready to speak.

.

..

.

The settlement that was their destination began almost immediately after the Valley of Bones. It pretty much lived up to their expectations as being one of the most unwelcome-looking places inhabited by human beings. The buildings—which were small and square with undersized, narrow windows—seemed to be made of red clay, and were built into the cliff sides, some of them very high off the ground with no visible means of access. Shinju suspected that they were all interconnected by tunnels built into the cliffs, a convenient way of shelter or escape incase of an attack. At intervals along the edge of the gorge, watchtowers stood looking down on them. They were crooked and ramshackle, with tattered flags at their tops flapping dispiritedly in the hot wind, but Shinju didn't doubt that they were occupied. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as she felt the unseen eyes observing them, and she knew that their whole group had likely been in the sights of someone's gun since they had come in view.

On ground level throughout the town were thoroughly disreputable looking shops, presided over by hardened, evil-looking men. They watched the approaching pirates without much curiosity and with no friendliness. All the wares displayed in the shops were weapons, and although the armored man they'd met earlier had said that some dealers were superior to others, to Shinju's untrained eye they all looked equally dangerous, and equally cruel.

Stopping outside the shop he had selected, Law beckoned his two mechanics, the brothers Oremu and Oshemu. "You two, come with me. I'd like to see if these people can outfit the sub with new weapons, and they'll need to know what you can tell them. Jean Bart, you come too. Your experience might be helpful." Jean Bart nodded, and he and the two brothers followed their captain into the dark shop.

Bepo, Aaron, Kenta and the others remained on the street, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings. Shinju leaned against a wall, feeling strangely abstracted. For the past half hour, she had felt an odd tension building up inside her, without being aware of the reason for it. She felt sure, somehow, that something was about to happen, something bad.

Absently, she rubbed the small round scar on her chest, the only scar she had that had been made by a bullet. It ached for some reason…

She and the others straightened and turned to look as something down the street was making a commotion in this normally silent town. Loud voices and harsh laughter met their ears, and, taking a quick look across the road, Shinju saw two rough looking men in the shop opposite them exchange fearful glances, before hurrying out of sight. Then the approaching company came round a corner, and the Heart Pirates and Shinju saw them clearly.

With a shock of recognition Shinju made out the man standing in the forefront of the party. A tall, strong man with pale skin, flame-red hair and orange eyes. Like before, he was wearing a long dark coat, unlike before, one of his arms seemed to have been replaces with a mechanical arm comprised of weapons.

"Oh, shit. Not good." Aaron had gone a bit pale. Quickly he disappeared into the shop, emerging with his captain, who looked annoyed. He too looked at the newcomers, and his eyes widened, then narrowed with intense dislike.

"Well well. If it isn't Mr. Eustass."

It was pretty much unavoidable; there was going to be a confrontation.


End file.
